Evil, Thou Art My Friend
by Obscurus Lupa
Summary: One dark and silent night, Merton J. Dingle's life is turned upside down. One slip up and the whole gang is hurled into utter choas. Can an old friendand the world be saved with a new friend's help? PG13 for violence, swearing, and underage drinking.


Evil, Thou Art My Friend 

By: Obscurus Lupa 

A/N: This was another _extremely_ good plot suggestion by my good friend Otoniel Fernandez, so if you must flame, don't flame the plot or title, flame the format or spelling errors. Or better yet, try to not flame. This takes place during "Blame It On The Haim" in the second season, so anything after that that happened is irrelevant. Please forgive any spelling errors, I try my best to proof read my stories. Enjoy!   
Disclaimer: I don't own BWOC or any of the actors or actresses. I don't own "I Feel The Earth Move" or any other Carole King songs. Anything in this fic that is not a new character or plot is most likely something that doesn't belong to me. The new character is named after his creator, Otoniel, and belongs to him and only him. Please don't steal him and ask before using him. Thanks!   
Things You Should Know: As with all of the fics I make in this format, almost (mostly things that aren't signs, numbers, newspaper clippings, etc.) everything in **bold **is Tommy's thoughts. 

_Chapter One: Changes_

Merton leaned against a tombstone, breathing heavily. Tommy and Lori were also in the graveyard, catching their breath as well from their recent fight with Corey Haim. "I can't believe Haim got away!" Lori suddenly burst out in anger, kicking a random tombstone with a gargoyle on it. Merton sighed and got up from his spot on the tombstone. "Well, if Haim got away, we might as well take all precautions to make sure he doesn't wreak havoc. I'm going to the lair to make sure I have garlic secure on every window!" Tommy raised a paw. "Um, didn't you say that vampires can't go into a house unless you invite them?" Merton nodded his head. "True, but you can never be too careful," he told them, "I suggest you guys head home, and tomorrow we can look for Haim some more." Lori sighed. "But he could be doing things to people right now!" she yelled out angrily, punching a fist into the palm of her hand. "Well, as long as dawn is coming, he's not going to be doing anything until it's darker. I don't think it's dark enough outside. As far as I can tell, he's resting peacefully in a coffin somewhere," Merton explained, "Now let's go home. I can think of a plan overnight hopefully . . . If not, I can always cower." Lori sighed. "Fine," she said, kicking the same tombstone with the gargoyle on it as she had before, "Let's go." Tommy and Lori headed towards their homes, and Merton went the other way, his home being in the other side of town. 

As Merton walked, he looked about at the dark houses. Most of them were empty, only a few lights glowing inside to indicate a night light a small child had in their room. A light breeze blew, making Merton shiver and walk faster. He walked by a lamp post, which was shining brightly, his face illuminated in the light. He continued to walk past the little white houses for a while, rubbing his hands together to help keep them warm. After a few minutes, Merton heard a crackle, then paused, turning around. He was looking straight at an empty sidewalk, a few dark trees sending eerie shapes onto the pavement. A stray leaf blew by, but that was the only movement Merton could see. He shrugged his shoulders, turning around.   
His eyes went wide and he gasped upon seeing the figure in front of him. "Listen, um, I can explain everything!" Merton said, his voice higher than normal. The figure only smiled, grabbing Merton by the arm and throwing him to the ground. Merton backed up, trying to get away, but the figure jumped on top of him, opening his mouth to reveal sharp fangs. The Goth gasped and tried once more to escape, but the figure closed in on him. He yelled out in pain as the figure's fangs sank into his neck, the figure tasting his blood along with it. It was horrible. He just wanted to die then, get it over with. The figure removed his fangs from Merton's neck, getting up and wiping his mouth. Merton lay there on the ground, breathing heavily. He winced in pain again just before falling into darkness. 

Merton opened his eyes. It was still dark around him outside, and no one was around. He slowly sat up, feeling his neck. Two identical holes. His eyes went wide. "I-- I'm a," Merton paused, the realization hitting hard, "vampire." He stood up, pacing around and breathing heavily. "Okay, Merton, calm down. You can fix this. Tell Tommy and Lori and they'll-- No, I can't tell them! This is bad, this is very, very bad!" Merton continued pacing, then suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Okay, I can't tell Tommy or Lori, because the results can't be good, and soon I'll be turning and-- I can do this, I can figure out how to be back to normal on my own." Merton took in a deep breath. "Just act normally, no one will suspect a thing . . . " He took another deep breath, then walked away. 

"Hey, Lori, what's up?" Tommy asked Lori at school the next day, opening up his locker. "Nothing much," Lori replied, "I looked on the news to make sure Haim didn't do anything, and so far nothing's happened yet. Where's Merton?" Tommy furrowed his brows, taking out an old gym sock from his locker, then stuffing it into his backpack. "I don't know, I haven't seen him since last night." "Hey, Tommy; hey, Lori," Merton said from behind them. They turned around. Tommy smiled. "Hey, buddy, got anything on where to find Corey?" Merton shook his head, opening his locker. He took out a pair of sunglasses, putting them on. Lori stifled a laugh. "Um, Merton? What's with the shades?" Merton raised an eyebrow and looked at Lori. "So the light's a little bright," he said calmly, taking out his coffin backpack and stuffing some books and pencils inside. Tommy furrowed his brows, then quickly smiled, looking as if realization had just hit. "Oh, I get it," he said, punching Merton playfully on the arm, "It's the whole stay pale and gothic thing, right?" Merton laughed nervously. "Yeah, heh heh, I've got to stay loyal to the gothic tradition!" Merton punched Tommy playfully on the arm. "Ow!" Tommy rubbed his shoulder where Merton had hit him. "Jeez, Merton, have you been working out or something?" Merton backed up nervously. "Um, no, heh heh, guess it's just the old Dingle strength. Heh heh . . . " With that, Merton quickly grabbed his backpack and ran down the hall.   
As the day wore on, Merton found it harder to concentrate on his classes. The teachers had insisted that he take his sunglasses off, and the light was extremely bright in his eyes. As he headed towards lunch, things got even stranger. He set his things into his locker, rubbing his eyes. When he turned around, three girls were standing beside him, looking as if in a trance. "Uh, heh heh," Merton clasped his hands together, backing up into his locker, "If you want my lunch money today, I honestly don't have much!" The girls continued to stare at him, cocking their heads. Merton gave them a weird look, then smiled nervously, backing away. "Okay," Merton said in a rather high pitched voice, "It was nice chatting with you ladies, but I've got to go. Bye!" He smiled nervously and waved his hand, then the girls' heads followed his hand. He paused with his hand in the air, the girls were still staring at it. He moved it to the right, and the girls heads went to the right. He moved it to the left. The girls heads went left. "Okay . . . Oh crud!" Merton cleared his throat. "Okay, listen carefully, I want you to forget about me and go back to your own business, understand?" The girls nodded their heads, then walked away. Merton sighed, leaning against his locker again. "This whole vampire thing is really going downhill . . . " 

Merton sat in the lair, rubbing his temples and concentrating on what he was going to do. There was a knock on the door and he jumped, looking up. "Come in," he said quietly, looking back down at his desk. Tommy and Lori stepped in, both grinning for no particular reason. "'Sup, Merton?" Tommy asked cheerfully, picking up the skull from Merton's desk and throwing it up and down. "Heh heh, hands off the cranium," Merton said, grabbing the skull and setting it back down to it's original place, "And nothing much. Still been looking for Corey, but nothing so far." Tommy shrugged his shoulders and picked up the skull again, throwing it into the air. "Tommy," Merton said angrily, "Don't throw that a-- Ah!" Merton yelled out in pain, clasping one hand to his mouth and breathing heavily. "Merton, are you okay?" Lori asked with concern, furrowing her brows and stepping closer. Merton backed away, putting one finger up. "I-I've got to go!" With that, Merton ran out of the house, going much faster than normal. 

Merton ran through the dark streets, feeling fangs beginning to form. In his anger towards Tommy, he must have done some sort of vampire "wolf out". Why it was so painful, he didn't know. There was million things going through his mind, most unanswered questions. Why was this happening to him? Was it going to last? How was he going to survive? He continued to run, feeling thirst come to him-- thirst for blood. He couldn't bite someone, or he'd turn them into a vampire as well. There was only one thing left to do-- kill them. As much as he hated it, he would have to in order to survive. Just as he was thinking of this, he saw a young girl, about fourteen with red hair wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a black leather jacket, walking down the street. He licked his fangs, then slowly glided towards her, making sure he was quiet so she wouldn't hear him coming.   
The girl bobbed her head to some music, some headphones gently placed on her ears. The music was playing loudly, at least to Merton, whose hearing was especially sensitive now. She chewed some gum as she listened, walking along down the street, oblivious to the fact that she was being followed. Merton flew up behind her, baring his fangs. He slowly came to the back of her neck, breathing onto her. She furrowed her brows, taking the headphones off and turning around. She screamed then tried to run away, only tripping over her own feet. Merton smiled. "Hey, hope you don't mind, but I'll be eating you tonight." Merton paused, then added, "Nothing personal, vampire's got to eat you know." Then Merton smiled again, swooping down onto the girl, grabbing onto her neck, and twisting until he heard a crack and her neck broke. The girl's sunglasses fell to the ground, and Merton sank his fangs into her neck, tasting the blood. He continued to suck in the blood, feeling strength come back to him. He felt sorry for the girl, he had never wanted to kill her, but he couldn't create more vampires and he needed to drink blood in order to survive. He knew one thing: Now that he had fed, he couldn't go back to school, or he'd bite or kill someone there-- or worse, he could put his friends into a lot of danger. Plus now that he was changing more, the light was too much. He'd have to hide in someplace similar to a coffin, at least until the night came and he could feast. He loosened his fangs from the girl's neck and stood up, licking the blood from his lips. "Well, good bye cruel world of the living," Merton uttered before stepping over the girl and gliding away into the darkness. 

**So Merton had been weird at the lair. Lori and I went to look for him, but didn't find him. It was morning now, and we were both tired, so we had given up on the search. We went to school and Merton hadn't showed up, and that got us really worried. I had to go to one other person-- my brother. I could always count on his advice . . .**

Tommy stepped into his house, shaking his head. His brother Dean was seated on the couch once more, stuffing potato chips into his mouth. Tommy sat down and sighed. "Dean, I've got a problem," he said, looking at his older brother. Dean muted the television, turning to face him. "Shoot, lil' bro," he said, one eye starting to drift towards the television. "Well," Tommy began, "I was at my friends house, right, and then he suddenly ran outside, and he was like in pain or something, and he never showed up at school. I think something's wrong with him. What should I do?" Dean paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and grabbing a chip, stuffing that into his mouth and chewing it with his mouth open. "Well, it seems to me that you need to confront your friend when you think something's wrong, just like on A Goofy Movie." Tommy furrowed his brow. "What happened in that movie?" "Well, Max hated his dad, and he told him what he thought. Then they had a fight throughout the whole movie . . . " Dean said slowly, eyeing the television. "How did they resolve it?" Tommy asked curiously, sitting up straighter. "Don't know," his brother said, turning the chair back around, "There was and S Club Seven marathon and I changed the channel." Tommy sighed. "Whoa! Mom's on!" Dean said, changing the subject. He turned the sound back on and Sally Dawkins came on screen.   
"And tonight," Sally began in a professional tone, "It seems we have a so called vampire in our midst. A young girl, miss Julia Barns, was found dead this morning on Hertz Street, found drained of her blood with two fatal puncture wounds to the neck. She had been missing after running away, but now police suspect she was kidnapped, killed by a cult or gang. In fact, police are led to suspect that the group will kidnap someone before killing them in a "ritual". Police believe that one Merton Dingle," A picture of Merton wearing black robes and a goofy smile flashed on screen, "Who disappeared the same night of Barns' murder, is the next to be killed. More on this story later tonight . . . " Tommy's eyes went wide. "Listen, Dean, I'm going to a friends house," Tommy said, getting up and walking towards the door. "No prob, bro," Dean said, flipping the channel to Dexter's Laboratory. Tommy opened the oak door and ran out into the night, slamming the door behind him. 

"What?!" Lori yelled into the phone, sitting up in bed. "Yeah," Tommy said on the other line from a pay phone at the Factory, "The girl was dead and Merton disappeared! I'm going to look around town and see if I can find him before it's too late." "Wait, Tommy, I-- Tommy!" Lori yelled at the phone. It was too late. Tommy had hung up. Lori slammed the phone down. "Merton was at the park the same night that the girl was killed by a vamp and--" she paused, considering the possibilities, "Oh no-- That can't be-- Merton can't be a-- Merton's a vampire! Tommy!" Lori quickly ran out her door in search of Tommy, hoping to find him before Merton did. 

_Chapter Two: Tommy's Fatal Mistake_

Merton flew through the cold night air, wind whipping through his face. He wrapped his black trench coat around him, even though he didn't mind the cold so much now. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses, though why he was wearing them at night was a mystery. He saw a boy with messy dark brown hair and light blue eyes walk on the other side of the street. Merton saw his chance and felt his fangs form. He glided over stealthily and soundlessly.   
Quickly flying behind the boy, Merton bared his fangs. The boy turned around and screamed. He was frozen in fear, petrified at seeing the "Pleasantville vampire". Merton crossed his arms, floating a foot from the ground. "Now come on, I'm not _that _scary, am I?" Merton asked. The boy stood with his mouth open in fear, then shook his head. "Good, then we won't get many screams . . . " Merton took out a knife and brought it down upon the boy, and the boy fell to the ground, eyes still opened in fear. He flew at the boy, then grabbed his neck, sinking his teeth into his skin. 

Tommy ran through the streets, looking for any sign of his friend. "Merton? Yo, Merton! There's these vampire dudes out!" Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. There was a vampire holding onto a boy and sucking his blood. Without thinking, Tommy wolfed out and growled, running at full speed towards the villain. He quickly grabbed onto the vampire's neck, pulling him off the boy. The vampire turned around and Tommy gasped. 

**It was Merton . . .**

Tommy was about to say something to his friend when Merton, being disoriented, grabbed Tommy, sinking his fangs into his neck. Tommy yelled out in pain, trying to push Merton away but being unsuccessful. He could feel the blood being drained from him, his vision blurring. "Merton! Merton, it's me Tommy!" Merton removed his teeth from Tommy's neck, letting him go. Tommy fell back onto the pavement, his vision blurred and his eyes halfway closed. His breathing became ragged and short. Merton's eyes went wide, and he put his hands on Tommy's shoulders, shaking him. "Tommy! Tommy! Wake up! No! Don't die, you can do this!" Merton yelled, shaking Tommy some more. "Merton," Tommy struggled to say, "What-- What happened?" Merton shook his head. "I-- I don't know . . . Tommy, stay with me here!" Tommy coughed, some blood coming from his mouth. "Tommy, Tommy, no! No no no, stay awake, don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes! No!" As Merton was saying this, Tommy slowly closed his eyes. "Tommy, wake up, man, wake up!" Merton shook Tommy's shoulders, and Tommy opened his eyes. He smiled at Merton. "See you around, buddy," Tommy whispered, still smiling. Then his head rolled to the side, his eyes wide and the smile fading from his lips. "No, Tommy, no!" Merton yelled out, shaking Tommy's shoulders. Merton looked to the ground, a tear beginning to form. "No . . . " He looked at his friend, lying there motionless. "What have I done?" Merton asked himself, looking at his friend lying dead in front of him. There was a short pause as he wiped a tear away. "See you around, buddy," Merton whispered. Then he took one last look at Tommy's eyes before gently placing his hands on the lids and closing them, his friend now laying in his final position. 

Merton walked slowly down the street, tears rolling down his cheeks. He had killed his best friend. Because of him turning into a vampire, his friend was dead. "Stupid vampires, stupid Tommy for coming, stupid me!" Merton yelled angrily, punching his fist into a pole and making a fist shaped dent. "Why couldn't he have just minded his own business?!" Merton yelled out to no one, kicking a trash can and sending it flying through the air. He paused, then looked angry again. "This is Lori's fault! If she'd have just been there with me, then I would have never been bitten! Stupid Lori, stupid Tommy, stupid world!" Merton kicked a bench, breaking it in half. He then sat on the ground, crying in huge sobs into his hands. "Tommy, I'm so sorry . . . " Merton sobbed, shaking his head. "Hey!" Merton quickly got up, flying into the air. He turned around and Lori was standing there, hands balled into fists.   
"Lori!" Lori glared at him. "You were the vampire all along! Why didn't you tell us?" Lori yelled, putting her fists up. "Lori, calm down, I can explai--" "No!" Lori interrupted, "I'm just glad Tommy didn't get to you before I did! What, are you going to kill us now too?!" Merton put a hand to his mouth, then furrowed his brows, landing back on the ground and sitting down on the pavement. "Lori," Merton sighed, "Tommy's-- I met up with him and I was feeding and . . . " Merton trailed off, wiping a tear away. "What?!" Lori yelled out angrily, "You didn't hurt him, did you?!" "I-- I--" Merton began to say. Before Merton could say anything more, there was a voice from behind them. "Lori, I'm fine." Merton and Lori spun around to find Tommy standing there, still wolfed out. Merton smiled and flew into the air, showing his fangs. "Tommy!" Merton flew at Tommy, hugging him. "Tommy, yes! You're alive!" "What?" Lori asked, "What do you mean, he's alive?" "Lori," Tommy said, pushing Merton off of him, "I need to talk to Merton," He paused, and Lori just stood there, "Alone." "But--" "Lori, please, I just need to talk to him in private. Go home, I'll catch you tomorrow." Lori glared at Merton, then reluctantly walked away, clenching her fists.   
"Whew!" Merton sighed a breath of relief, wiping his forehead, "Thanks, Tommy, you know cause--" Tommy looked angry and punched Merton in the face, sending him flying back. "What was that for?!" Merton yelled in shock, flying back over to Tommy. "Well, for one thing that's for killing me, and another for making me more of a freak than I already am!" Merton's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean, more of a freak?" Tommy's eyes went wide and he opened his mouth, revealing his fangs, which were much longer than before. "You think these are just my wolfy fangs?" Tommy yelled angrily, "You killed me and now I'm some sort of-- some sort of werevamp!" Merton laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, in my defense, you jumped me while I was feeding! And I was very hungry you know! I didn't mean to kill you!" Tommy looked angry. "So you killed some other innocent dude?" he yelled angrily, floating into the air. "Hey, I had to kill him or I'd die! Now that I'm a vampire it's not exactly easy to find blood floating around! Now come on, we can hunt someone together, you and me. It'll be fun!" "No!" Tommy yelled, anger still clearly etched onto his face, "I'm not killing innocent people! I'm still good, Merton, and I just can't kill someone." Merton sighed. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you . . . " With that, Merton flew off into the distance, disappearing into the dark night. 

Merton looked from left to right, then quickly pounced into some bushes in the woods. He grabbed a rabbit, killing it, and slowly sucking it's blood. It was disgusting, but enough to strengthen him. He was thinking deeply about the current situation he was in. Tommy now hated him, since he had bitten him, turning him into a vampire, not to mention Lori was ticked because Merton was a vampire in the first place. He sighed. This was going to be a very, very long night . . . 

Merton sat in the lair the next night, holding a magazine. "Oh yeah, that's the stuff . . . " Merton smiled, looking at the magazine, a picture of a woman in a bikini on the front of it. There was a knock on the door, and he quickly hid the magazine. "Who is it?" "It's me Tommy," Tommy said outside, his voice muffled from the door. There was a pause. "Merton, you have to invite me in or I can't come inside. Vampires, remember?" "Oh yeah!" Merton said, "Come in." Tommy opened the door and stepped inside. "I've been thinking," Tommy said quietly, "And maybe being a werevamp isn't so bad. And I wanted to say that I was sorry for hitting you." "It's all right, Tommy," Merton said, "You had every right to hit me and I shouldn't have . . . erm . . . killed you." Tommy sighed. "Well, glad that's over with. So, um . . . Can you vampires really turn into bats?" Merton smiled. "Yeah, it's really cool! Watch this," Merton said. He shook his hands, then slowly began to change form, then became a black bat. He quickly changed back, still floating in the air and smiling. "Cool!" Tommy said, smiling. "So, do you want to go hunting now? Hunger's kind of getting to me . . . " Merton said. Tommy shook his head. "No, Merton, I already told you that I can't kill innocent people." Merton shook his head. "You sure? Cause--" "No, Merton, go do some killing without me," Tommy told him, his face determined. Merton shook his head again and flew out the door. 

Once again, Merton found himself in the lair alone. He stared blankly at the wall, deep in thought. Well, more of he was staring at a picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but he was still thinking about certain things nonetheless. As he pondered about unknown things, there came a knock on the door, and Tommy stepped inside. "Hey, Merton," Tommy said, sounding tired, "I came to ask you something . . . " Merton stopped staring at the wall and looked at Tommy, motioning him to go on with a hand gesture. "Well, now that we're vamps and everything, what are we gonna do about Lori? And what about school and stuff?" Tommy asked, sitting on the bed. "Well," Merton began, "I don't think you've turned quite enough to be sensitive to light, but I wouldn't take the chance of going out for school. Basically our past lives are gone now. As for the subject of Lori, I really don't know what to do about her. I guess we just avoid her, seeing as she might stake me. Plus she still doesn't know about you being a werevamp." Tommy sighed. "I just feel guilty about not telling her. She knew about me being a werewolf, and she didn't care." he paused. "So where am I supposed to go when it's light?" Merton smiled. "Well, I have some coffins here, courtesy of my Buffy obsession . . . " "Ew! Dude, that's gross!" Tommy said, making a disgusted face, "There is no way I'm going into a coffin!" 

"Comfortable?" "Merton, shut up," Tommy said, laying back in the coffin, "One word about this at school, and you're dead meat." Merton shook his head, laying back in another coffin. "Tommy, don't forget that we're not going back to school. How could I tell anyone?" Tommy sighed. "Don't remind me . . . Let's just rest until tonight." "Fine, good morning," Merton said, beginning to close his coffin. "What?" Tommy asked, sitting up. "Good morning. I can't say good night because it's not night, so it's good morning." Tommy shook his head. "Good morning then," he said before closing his coffin and gently closing his eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep. 

_Chapter Three: Feeding_

That night, Merton opened his coffin, sitting up and stretching, yawning while in the process. He knocked his fist on the coffin next to his, which Tommy was occupying. "Hey, Tommy, it's night, you can come out now," Merton said, floating out of his own coffin, still in a sitting position. He gently stretched his legs out while in the air, landing on the ground, now standing. "Tommy, did you hear me?" Merton called into the coffin, "You can get up now." The other coffin remained still, and there was no sounds from inside. "Tommy?" Merton opened the coffin, to reveal Tommy still inside, looking paler than normal for a vampire.   
"Tommy? You awake in there?" Tommy opened his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said weakly, sitting up, "Just a bit tired." Tommy got out of the coffin, but when his feet touched the ground, he began to fall. Merton caught him in time, setting him down on the bed. "Tommy, you're not okay. What's wrong?" Tommy shook his head. "I don't know." Merton furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "Tommy, when was the last time you drank blood?" Tommy shook his head again. "I haven't. I already told you, I'm not killing an innocent person," he said, trying to sit up. "We can't let you die," Merton said, "And you will if you don't drink any blood. We need someone-- someone that can't die. Tommy, feed off me." "What?" Tommy furrowed his brow, taken aback and Merton's sudden request, "Merton, I'm not drinking your blood! Ew!" Merton sighed. "It's not that bad," he said, "Trust me. It's either you feed off of me or you kill an innocent human."   
Tommy sighed. "But--" "No buts about it. Drink from me." Merton pulled the collar of his shirt down, putting his neck into clear view. Tommy sighed once more. "Merton, I can't," Tommy said, almost whining. "Do it, Tommy! I'm already dead so it doesn't matter if you drink my blood!" Tommy looked at Merton reluctantly, Merton's face determined. "Fine," Tommy said, "But-- If you scream I'm letting go." Tommy stood up and faced Merton, then closed in on his neck. He sank his fangs into Merton's neck, and Merton tensed up, gritting his teeth. Tommy could feel the strength coming back to him as he tasted the blood in his mouth. So the two teenagers stood there, one gathering strength and the other giving his blood for his friend.   
Tommy couldn't believe this was happening. Merton was willingly suffering this pain so that he could survive. Of course, it could have had something to do with him killing him in the first place, but Merton was truly sacrificing a lot. Tommy knew one thing: Merton was a good friend, a true friend, a true rarity to find, and his friendship was proven by this act of kindness to save him from dying again. And this also proved that Merton was a lot stronger now, whether it be from his vampirism or he had it all along inside of him, and he could take the pain, not making a sound and gritting his teeth.   
Merton bit his lip, clenching his fists. It hurt terribly having his friend's fangs in his neck, not to mention having his blood drained. But he knew he had to do this if Tommy was to live. Tommy had been his first real friend, and remained his friend through thick and thin, no matter how weird he got. And now they had something more to share, the vampirism. If he lost Tommy, he didn't know what he would do. Probably stake himself. It wasn't that he was the suicidal type, as he seemed to be to others from his lifestyle, it was just he wouldn't be able to bear the loss of such a great friend. Lori was a great friend to him, yet she never really had such a close bond with him as Tommy did. Plus she didn't share as much with him as Tommy had. For one thing, the vampirism. Plus they had had so many adventures before that, and they had stuck together, without her help. All in all, he wanted Tommy to live, even if it meant sacrificing something from himself in order to do it.   
Tommy finally let go of Merton's neck, and Merton rubbed the spot where Tommy had fed from. They stared at each other in silence, as if I silent conversation was going on through their minds, or as if they knew what the other was thinking and there was no need to speak. "Well," Tommy said after a pause, "That was kind of . . . " "Awkward?" Merton asked. "Yeah . . . " Tommy paused, lost for words, "Thanks." Merton made a dismissive sound. "No prob," he said awkwardly, still rubbing his neck, "I guess we'll have to do that for awhile . . . Unless you want to hunt." Tommy shook his head. "Merton, I can't hunt, but I can't do this all the time--" "Tommy, don't worry about it. As long as you don't die . . . again." There was a pause, then the two burst out laughing, holding their sides. 

Lori paced her room, running her hands through her hair. She had called Tommy's house over and over, yet there was no answer. Finally, she decided to try Merton's, despite it being against her instincts. She dialed the number, hearing the phone ring. "Hello?" It was Becky on the other line. "Becky, is Merton there?" Lori asked, glad to know she was getting somewhere. "Yeah, but he's been sick lately and I haven't seen him much--" "Never mind, just get him on the line." "Fine . . . " There was a short pause, then Lori heard a familiar voice on the other line. "Hello?" It was Merton; she knew it. "Merton, where the heck have you been? And where's Tommy?" Lori asked angrily into the phone, gripping it somewhat tighter than usual. "Calm down, Lori, we can explain everything if--" "Merton, where's Tommy? Tell me the truth!"   
Merton sighed on the other line. "He walked in on me while I was feeding and I sort of . . . bit him." "What?!" Lori screamed into the phone, fury in her voice. "But he's a good werevamp! Trust me, and we already got a way to feed him if he has the urge to go blood hunting." "And what about you?" Lori asked, suspicion in her voice this time. "Well," Merton said, "I was responsible for the murders, and I have been killing people--" "Merton!" "Lori, I had to! I can't control what the vampire does! It's too tempting!" Lori sighed angrily into the phone. "Can I at least see you guys? I haven't seen you two for days!" Merton laughed nervously into the phone. "Well, I guess, on Friday, but you might want to take cau--" "Yes! I'll see you Friday!" Lori smiled, then hung up the phone. 

Lori waited in anticipation all week, barely able to sit still. She normally wasn't this happy about anything, but she was excited about finally seeing her friends after so long, even if it was only a few days. She slowly walked up to the Dingle household, knocking on the door. Merton's mother came to the door, her face mysteriously hidden behind a basket of laundry she was carrying. "Yes?" Merton's mother asked, her voice muffled. "Is Merton there?" Lori asked, smiling from ear to ear. "Sorry," Merton's mother said, "He's been missing for awhile." "Can I at least go down to his room?" "Okay," Merton's mother said awkwardly, kicking open the door with her foot, "But be careful on your way back home. The mayor's son disappeared the other day too . . . " Lori stepped inside, then quickly descended the stairs into Merton's lair. 

_Chapter Four: Conversing With Lori_

"Okay," Merton said to Tommy, sounding like a drill instructor and pacing the room with his hands folded behind his back, "Lori's going to be coming here any minute now. We have to do a few things: A, not eat her, and B, stay totally calm." Merton took in a deep breath. "I can't do this!" he yelled, panic in his voice, "I'll kill her too and mess everything up!" Tommy put a hand on Merton's shoulder, smiling optimistically. "Don't worry," he said, "You're not going to mess it up." Merton smiled appreciatively at his friend. There was suddenly some soft footsteps on the stairs, and Lori came down, smiling from ear to ear. She ran at Tommy, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. Tommy, taken aback by Lori's sudden outburst, flew into the air, pushing Lori's arms away from his neck. "Whoa, Lori, slow down there," Tommy said, flying back a few feet. "Tommy, are you okay?" Lori asked, stepping forward, "It's been awhile since we've seen each other!" Tommy smiled nervously, landing to the ground. "Sorry," Tommy said, "Just a little nervous around humans ever since I was . . . killed. Just afraid I might kill someone or something like that . . . "   
Lori suddenly looked angry. "Listen," she said furiously, "I don't need your sympathy! I can take care of myself!" "Whoa, Lori," Tommy said, "I'm not giving you sympathy, I'm just being cautious." Lori looked unbelieving. "Fine," she said, "If you guys are so nice, how come you both are little vampire buddies?" Merton furrowed his brows. "Vampire buddies? Excuse me, but me biting Tommy was totally unintentional, not to mention he's only staying here cause I need to help him!" "Oh, so now you depend on Merton?" Lori asked Tommy, as if it was the worst thing in the world to do. "Lori--" "Fine, be little buddies, leave me out!" Lori, without waiting for Tommy to finish, pushed Tommy backwards, and he fell onto the bed in shock. "Lori, we're not leaving you ou--" "You're not what?" Lori interrupted angrily, pushing Tommy again, "Huh? Answer me, what are you not doing?" "I--I--" "Huh? What?" Tommy started breathing heavily, staring at Lori, who looked at him angrily, then he fainted, falling back on the bed.   
Lori, surprised at Tommy fainting, suddenly looked concerned. "Tommy?" she asked, beginning to panic, "Merton, what's wrong with him?" Merton flew over and looked at Tommy. "Oh no, he hasn't fed . . . Lori, step back." Lori stepped back, and Merton shook Tommy's shoulders. Tommy slowly opened his eyes, taking deep breaths. "Tommy," Merton said, "You have to feed, you haven't had anything yet and you're weak . . . " Tommy nodded his head, too weak to argue. Merton leaned in and Tommy bit into his neck, drinking his blood and feeling the strength come back to him once more. Merton winced, but quickly gritted his teeth, taking the pain soundlessly.   
Lori stood there in shock, mouth open. She'd never seen Tommy like this. He was Tommy; the guy that always kicked the monsters butt unscathed. And she'd never seen Merton like this before. He was in terrible pain by the looks of it, yet he still took the pain to help his friend, gritting his teeth. She felt helpless, watching the two teens in front of her helping each other as she stood and watched.   
Merton pulled away and helped Tommy sit up, who was becoming stronger and more like the normal Tommy Dawkins. Lori stood there, then suddenly stepped towards them, and without thinking burst out, "Merton, bite me!" Merton's eyes went wide. "Okay, that was uncalled for--" "Merton, I'm not speaking figuratively, I want you to turn me into a vampire!" Merton backed up. "No, Lori," he said, "I can't. I already killed one of my friends, I'm not killing you too." Lori looked angry, and she turned to Tommy. "Tommy, you bite me then. I want you two to include me, and I can help you out!" Tommy shook his head. "Lori, I can't--" "Guys, why can't you just do this?!" Lori yelled angrily.   
After a short pause, Merton flew into the air and landed on the bed. "This is all Haim's fault!" he yelled, hitting a fist on the bed next to him. "Haim's?" Tommy asked curiously, sitting next to him. "Yeah," Merton said, one of his eyes beginning to twitch as he remembered that fateful night, "He bit me and . . . I was walking, and he swooped in on me . . . I can still remember his smile as he jumped on me, and saw my fear . . . Then his fangs dug into me like-- like needles, and I-- I died that night, you guys! I can remember my own death!" "Merton--" Lori began. "Lori, don't try to apologize now. You guys have no idea how hard it is to know how you died, remember every agonizing second before you fell out of the living world!" Tommy flew into the air angrily. "What are you talking about, Merton?" he asked furiously, "I died too, you know! You killed me! Yes, _you_ did! My best friend sucked my blood, and I died. And you know what? Now I can't believe I actually said good-bye." Now it was Merton's turn to be angry again. "Tommy, I've fed you and kept you alive, because I was sorry and--" "Guys!" Lori yelled out, "I can't take this any more! I'm going to find Haim and stake him myself!" Lori stormed out into the night, the door hanging open after she left.   
Merton and Tommy looked at each other, then both landed to the ground. "Sorry, Tommy," Merton said. "No, it's my fault, I'm sorry," Tommy said apologetically. There was an awkward silence, then they both said together, "Sorry." 

_Chapter Five: A Stranger In Town_

The woods lay gray and ghostly, illuminated by the small amount of light the day had left. It was almost midnight. Suddenly, a man wearing all black, a long black cape, high boots, and glasses, walked into view. He had long salt and pepper hair to the middle of his back, was about 5'8 and had a muscular build, and he had astonishing green eyes. He trudged along in the woods, talking to himself. "One hundred fifty years and I still can't find a decent human to feed off of!" the man yelled, his eyes suddenly turning white. He took a deep breath and his eyes went back to their natural green shade. "Okay, Otoniel, calm down," the man said to himself once more, "I can find a human. I can kill them, and they won't turn into vampires . . . I guess I'll have to use a female, they're easy to manipulate . . . " Otoniel continued to speak to himself, and flew into the air, gliding along the woods.   
Otoniel came into a clearing, and looked out into the small town before him. "This must be Pleasantville . . . " he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Stupid Haim!" he heard someone yell, "I can't find him anywhere!" Otoniel whipped around, seeing a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes coming down the street in anger.   
Lori continued to run along the streets, finding Haim no where in sight. She sighed, knowing this was harder than she had expected. Once again, helplessness overcame her. She had never had to fight someone alone, never had to solve a problem. She had always had Tommy or Merton. Now she had only herself, and as independent as she acted, she needed her friends terribly. Sure she had always thought they could be annoying sometimes, but now she really needed them, and they weren't around. She paused, realization hitting hard. Tommy and Merton were dead. They would never come back if she didn't find Haim. And worst of all, she had to save them alone. Alone. That was one word she hated. She loved her friends, and being alone was one of her worst nightmares. Of course, she had never worried about it much because she had always had friends, but now that she was alone she knew how much she needed companionship-- love, even.   
Otoniel glided down beside the woman, baring his fangs and ready for the kill. The woman suddenly turned around, pulling a stake and a cross from her pocket. Otoniel, taken aback, flew backwards, hissing at the cross. This had never happened before. Not in a century and five decades had one of his victims been prepared. "Mert-- Hey, you're not Merton!" the woman yelled angrily, gripping the stake tighter. "Of course I'm not," Otoniel said, "I am Otoniel Fernandez. Who are you and who is Merton?" The young woman gripped the stake tighter. "Why should I tell you? You're a vampire for crying out loud!" Otoniel sighed. "Are you prejudice against the living dead? Honestly, I won't feed off of you if you explain to me who you are." The teenager narrowed her eyes, and hesitantly lowered the stake and cross.   
"I'm Lori Baxter. My friends were turned into vampires and I was looking for the one that bit them." Otoniel raised an eyebrow. "And Merton was one of them?" "Yeah," Lori answered, "But I can't talk any more, I have to find Haim. But you have to leave town. No one's killing anyone here . . . " Otoniel shook his head. "I'm not leaving, it's been decades since my last feed!" Otoniel's eyes turned white, and he glared at Lori. Lori charged at him with the stake, and he kicked it out of her hands, along with the cross. Then he knocked her over, and was about to feed when she kicked him off of her and jumped up, running off into the night. Otoniel stood there in shock at how agile this human was, then suddenly heard a horrible sound. There was a howl, a long, penetrating howl, as if someone --or something-- was in pain. He quickly flew off, searching for the source of the sound. 

Tommy entered the woods, looking every which way. Tonight was a full moon, and that meant he'd be wolfing out soon. He only wished he knew what it would be like to be a vampire and a werewolf. He would be finding this out soon enough. The moon slowly came out, and Tommy felt a sudden pain shoot through his head. He put his hands to his head, wincing in pain. His fangs grew, with extreme pain, and he went to his knees, wincing again. As his fur began to grow, his eyes started to glow, yet it wasn't the normal shade of yellow. They were bright red. He felt another surge of pain and howled into the night. Slowly gripping a tree, he hoisted himself up, feeling himself getting weaker. This time he felt a surge of pain, but it was coursing through his whole body, as if sharp pins were prodding him. He howled loudly into the night in agony, falling to the ground. 

Merton walked across the streets, searching carefully for someone who would be good prey. He walked by a bench where a couple was kissing, and snorted in disgust. Then he saw a little girl with black curly hair, about eleven. Too young. He came across a teenage girl with blonde hair and gray eyes, and nodded his head, knowing this would be the perfect prey. He was just about to glide towards her, when, having sensitive hearing now, he heard a loud howl. It was Tommy; he was sure. It sounded as if he was in pain. Remembering the full moon, he gasped. "Shoot, the transformation must have taken too much out of him!" Merton exclaimed, "I have to find him . . . " Merton looked around to make sure no one was watching, and went into the woods the fastest way he knew-- flying. 

Merton entered a clearing in the woods, searching carefully. He changed into a bat, seeing as that was quicker, and flew through the air, using sonar to make his way. He could feel sound waves bouncing off of something on the ground and quickly changed back into vampire form while still flying through the air. He landed on the ground and got onto his knee, seeing Tommy laying on the ground in pain. "Merton," Tommy said, "I don't know what happened, but . . . " Merton put a finger up to silence his friend. "Never mind that, we need to have you feed. You're too weak from the transformation . . . " Tommy shook his head. "We can't keep feeding like this . . . You don't have enough blood to survive on your own. I'm fine, really . . . " Tommy tried to sit up, but became dizzy and laid back down. Merton shook his head. "Tommy, you have to . . . Please," he pleaded, afraid of losing Tommy again. Tommy sighed and sank his teeth into Merton's neck.   
Tommy didn't want to feed, but knew he'd die again if he didn't. His friend's life was in danger, and he knew that, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He could feel his strength returning once more, and the feeding seemed to be almost over, until something happened to change things . . .   
Merton once again began the routine feeding. He could tell his friend was reviving, and with just a few more minutes he'd be well enough to get up so he could take him to the lair. His friend was helpless, and he couldn't go on taking care of him without killing himself, no pun intended. He began to feel weak, and suddenly collapsed to the ground.   
Merton fell to the ground, unconscious. Tommy hadn't finished feeding, and was too weak to do anything. "Merton . . . " Tommy muttered, almost incoherently. He lay there, but there was nothing he could do but hope that Merton would revive. There was some crunching sounds, and he saw two black boots step by him. He looked up and saw a figure, though he couldn't tell who it was for his vision was blurred. "Lori, is that you?" Tommy asked quietly and weakly, a slight slur to his voice. His eyes began to droop. "Well," he heard a deep voice say, "One of you two must be Merton . . . " Tommy took a deep breath, and looked the the figure a last time. The figure began to stoop over, and Tommy closed his eyes, unable to stay conscious any longer. 

_Chapter Six: Meeting Otoniel_

Merton opened his eyes. He was laying in a bed with dark sheets, and his shirt was now missing. He sat up abruptly, hitting his head on a board. "Aw! Jeez, for crying out loud!" Merton rubbed his forehead, wincing in pain. He furrowed his brows, realizing his was in the lair. "What the?" Merton looked around him, and above him where there were many boards, "Why the heck are there boards over my bed? How did I get back here?" Merton got out of bed, looking at the boards. The boards were all nailed together, forming a bed, and Tommy was laying inside, unconscious. "What the-- ah!" Merton yelled out, seeing another vampire in there. "Well," Otoniel said, "Glad to see you're awake." Merton furrowed his brows. "Awake? How long have I been out?" Otoniel looked at the ceiling, in thought for a second, then stated, "About three days. And you should tell Lori to stop calling, she left about a million messages on your machine." "Whoa whoa whoa! Who are you and why are you in my house?" Merton asked, looking panicked. "I'm Otoniel Fernandez, and I found you two in the woods. I've been feeding you two so you can revive, and it seems you're fine now." Merton's eyes went wide. "Wait a second, how did you know where I live and how did you get in without being invited?" Merton asked, backing up.   
"Well," Otoniel said, grinning, "When I found you in the woods a few nights ago, it's obvious that you two are new vampires. Or werewolf vampires. You had a card in your pocket that said where you lived and who you were, and when I knocked on the door, your sister said I could come in, thinking I was you. And I built that bed on top of your other one because I couldn't fit you and your friend on one together. I've been feeding you for days, it's about time you woke up to fend for yourself." Merton's mouth dropped open. "If you're a vampire too, you're obviously up to no good!" Merton yelled, "Okay, explain your hideous deed!" Otoniel laughed. "Hardly," he said, amusement clearly in his voice, "I'm a good vampire, and I've been this way for one hundred and fifty years. Besides, why do you think I saved you two when I could have used you for prey or left you to die again?" Merton paused, deep in thought. "Good point . . . " Merton said, "Thanks. Does Tommy know all this?" Otoniel nodded his head. "He woke up once or twice while you were out, and explained a few things, from you killing him and so on, and I explained everything to him that I did to you. He seemed to trust me, but that may have been due to his loss of strength. I think he thought I was you. It may be a few days yet before he revives." Merton nodded his head, soaking all the information in like a sponge. 

The next few days were nerve-racking. Tommy had been in and out of consciousness, not to mention Lori would call every five minutes, saying she was closer to finding Haim, though they all knew that she was no nearer to finding him than they were. A few of the times Tommy was awake, Merton was strong enough to feed him. Finally, one day, Tommy was awake once more, and he sat up, slowly getting out of the bed. "Merton?" Tommy asked, looking at Otoniel, "What the . . . Oh yeah, that must be the dude that saved us . . . " Tommy looked at Otoniel, who smiled and did a salute from a corner. "Gee, Tommy, " Merton said sarcastically, "How did you figure that one out?" There was a pause, then Merton smiled. "Good to have you back, buddy," He said, patting Tommy on the back. Tommy smiled back at him. "So how is the Haim search going?" Tommy asked curiously. Otoniel spoke up. "You're not going to find him the way you're looking . . . "   
Merton and Tommy turned to look at him. Merton quirked an eyebrow. "How do we find him then?" he asked Otoniel, curious to know. "Well," Otoniel explained, "You would need to figure out what his scent was. Many people, even some of us vampires believe we don't give off scents, but we do. Only other vampires can smell it, no blood hound could smell a vampire out. If we can find something he came into contact with, then we can smell him out." Merton and Tommy were gaping. "I think he touched one of my shirts when he bit me . . . " Merton said, going to his closet and pulling out a black short sleeved button up shirt. "Good, now we can call your friend Lori, smell around, and hopefully we'll find Haim," Otoniel told them, smiling.   
Merton picked up the phone, dialing Lori's number. "Lori?" Merton asked, "What do you mean? Where did she go? Okay." Merton hung up the phone. "This is bad!" he exclaimed, panic in his voice, which was completely different from the calm voice he had used on the phone. "What?" asked Tommy, anxious to know what had happened. "Tommy," Merton said, "Lori's in Bakersville." Otoniel furrowed his brow this time. "Why?" he asked, "And why would that be bad?" Merton paused, and took a deep breath. "She went to find Haim. She's going to die if we don't find her!" "This is bad!" Tommy said, his statement obvious, "We have to find her before Haim does!" "I agree," Otoniel said, considerably calmer than the teen vampires, "Let us go. We can take the Hearse." Merton grabbed his black trench coat, put it on, and flew outside, ignoring the fact that Otoniel had volunteered that they use his vehicle without his consent. Tommy and Otoniel flew outside right after Merton and into the night. 

_Chapter Seven: Road Trip_

The three of them drove for an hour until they reached a sign that said: **Welcome To Bakersville, Enjoy Your Stay!** As they entered the town, Tommy, Otoniel, and Merton all put on sunglasses in unison, and they were all wearing all black and long black trench coats. They got out of the Hearse after parking by a restaurant, looking like secret agents. People stared as they walked by, and quickly moved out of their way, frightened of them. Tommy glanced at Merton and Otoniel. "So," he said, "Should we split up and look for Lori?" Merton and Otoniel nodded. "I'll check that store over there to see if anyone's seen her," Merton said, pointing to a white building down the road. Otoniel nodded. "I'm going to check the woods, it's most likely she'll be there, and we never got fully acquainted," he said, more to himself than the two teenage vampires beside him. "Better get going . . . " he muttered, walking towards the dark, shady woods nearby.   
Merton shook his head. "Sure, he gets to go into a dark, secluded area while we get--" he paused, smiling, "Never mind . . . " Tommy shook his head. "Just go," Tommy sighed. Merton smiled and walked away towards the store.Tommy glanced beside him, where there was a wooden building, with a creaky sign hanging over it. The sign was broken, and it was too scratched up to read. Tommy shrugged his shoulders and went inside. 

Inside, the building was smoky, dark, and smelled horrible. Many men and women were in there, gambling and drinking, smoking and laughing, showing rotted teeth. Tommy glanced around, looking through his sunglasses for any sign of Lori. A hispanic man wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans walked up to Tommy, holding a beer bottle. "A little young to be in here, huh?" the man asked, a slur to his voice and alcohol on his breath. Tommy stepped back. "Um, I'm just looking," Tommy paused, "for a friend of mine." The man laughed, and patted Tommy on the back. "Come on," he said, "You have to have a drink! This friend can wait!" Tommy backed up hesitantly, but the man put his hand on Tommy's back, pushing him towards the bar. "Really," Tommy said, trying to get back up again, "I need to go find my friend . . . " The man just laughed. "Get some drinks and keep them coming!" he yelled, laughing enthusiastically. Tommy tried to protest, but before he got anything out the man grabbed a drink and shoved it at him, forcing it down his throat. Tommy coughed, the taste of the alcohol bitter in his mouth.   
"Really," Tommy said as he coughed again, "I have to g--" The man grabbed another drink, forcing Tommy to drink it too. "Listen," Tommy tried again, "I have to go now, maybe I can come back some other time." He got up, but quickly a woman with brown hair, blue eyes, and one of the few with white teeth, put her hand on his shoulder, pushing him down. "Come on," the woman said, smiling, "I'm buying drinks, let's see how much you can take when you hang with the big boys." The crowd around them jeered, urging them to continue. Tommy sighed, sensing that these people weren't going to leave him alone if he didn't drink. Besides, how bad could I few drinks be? 

Merton stepped into the little white store, eyeing the clerk, who was an old balding man. A little girl with her red hair in pigtails was looking at some candy in the store, then saw Merton and ran out of the store. Merton shook his head, walking over to the blue counter at the front of the shop. The clerk eyed him suspiciously. "Listen, kid," the clerk said, "if you're looking for an occult shop, we have one just down the road." Merton shook his head. "I'm looking for someone," he said smoothly, taking off his sunglasses, "Shoulder length blonde hair, feisty, neigh high." He put his hand in the air, estimating Lori's height. The clerk shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen anyone by that description," he stated, "Why?" "No reason," Merton said, walking away, "Thanks for the help! Bye!" Then Merton stepped out the door, heading to look elsewhere for his friend. 

Otoniel smelled the cool night air. The woods smelled of pine, and the air was fresh and cool. He turned his head to the right, quickly scanning the woods once more. He had been out for about an hour, with no luck. Sighing, he flew into the air, scanning the tree tops. Still no sight of Lori in the woods. Seeing that Lori was obviously not in the woods, he landed on the ground, walking out of the dark trees and back into town to find the others. 

Otoniel walked over to the spot he had last seen Merton and Tommy. There was suddenly some laughter and loud shouts from the building beside him. The building was wooden, and there was a sign that couldn't be read. Eyeing it carefully, Otoniel walked over to the building and gripped the handle on the door, stepping inside the dark, noisy room.   
Inside, Otoniel's eyes went wide, though no one could tell seeing as he was still wearing sunglasses. Tommy was sitting in a seat at the bar, holding a mug and smiling. "Tony, wassup?" Tommy asked with a slur, getting up. Otoniel shook his head. "You're drunk, Tommy," he said, almost amused, "Let's go." Tommy laughed and walked over to Otoniel, putting an arm around his shoulder. "You know what your problem is?" Tommy asked, alcohol on his breath, "You're too uptight! Here, bartender, get a drink for my buddy here!" Otoniel shook his head. "We've got to go now," he said, his voice starting to get an edge to it. Tommy laughed again, but then passed out, Otoniel catching him in time. 

Merton leaned against the Hearse, hoping to see Otoniel or Tommy walk by. He had searched most of the town, still finding no sign of Lori. He saw Otoniel come out of a building, supporting a very drunk looking Tommy. Merton's mouth dropped open. "What the heck happened to him?" Merton asked in shock as Otoniel opened the Hearse and set Tommy in the back. "He had one too many drinks," Otoniel explained calmly, shutting the door, "Any sign of Lori?" "Nope," sighed Merton, opening the Hearse up, "I guess we'll have to check out some other places." Otoniel nodded, stepping into the Hearse, followed by Merton. 

_Chapter Eight: More Mistakes And Whispers In The Woods_

The three of them continued to drive, the windows rolled down so they could look around for any sign of their friend. Tommy was now awake in the back, still drunk. "Hey, guys!" Tommy yelled, looking out the window, "We're like, whee! And the people outside are like, whoa! Hey, is that one dude threatening me?" Tommy glared outside at a random man walking by. Merton rolled the window up, and Tommy got his head out of the window just in time. "I don't think he was," Merton said, looking back at Tommy, "And no throwing up back there!" Tommy laughed. "Dude, Mert, you've got to loosen up!" Tommy said cheerily, playing with the handle on the door. "No bad, Tommy, bad!" Merton said sternly, smacking Tommy's hand off the handle. Otoniel sighed. "This is going to be a rather long search, isn't it?" Otoniel asked in disappointment.   
A few hours later, the three vampires were in the woods, Tommy groaning because of a major hang over and Merton and Otoniel looking for any sign of Lori. "That's funny," Otoniel mused, "I'm sure I've looked through this part of the woods before . . . " "Ugh," Tommy groaned, stooped over on the ground, "Drinking is not fun . . . " Merton tutted. "Tommy," Merton said as if he were a teacher talking to a pupil, "It's your own fault. You shouldn't have taken the drink in the first place." "But--" Tommy began to protest, but quickly stopped and held his stomach, "Never mind . . . I guess you didn't need a drunk werevamp on your hands . . . "   
Otoniel smelled the air. "Guys," he said quietly, "There's a human nearby . . . " Tommy got up and walked over to them. "It could be Lori . . . " Otoniel muttered to himself, flying a few inches into the air, "but I'm not sure of her scent just yet . . . " "I'll look," volunteered Tommy, flying eagerly into the air. "Okay, but--" Before Otoniel could get anything more in, Tommy shot into the air, disappearing. "Well," Merton said enthusiastically, clasping his hands together, "He's feeling rather peppy tonight." Otoniel glanced at him. "I'm going to look for Lori," he said, as if Merton hadn't said anything else, then took off in another direction. Merton sighed and followed suit. 

Tommy looked about the woods, smelling the air. He heard some crackling and whipped around. Someone was standing there, though it was too dark to tell who, even with night vision. Tommy, caught unaware, grabbed the figure and sank his teeth into their neck. The person screamed out, landing on top of a sharp rock, which they hit their head on and fell limp. Tommy quickly let go of the dead body in shock, to reveal it to be a boy with red hair and freckles, around his age. He gasped, licking the blood on his lips.   
He couldn't believe it. He had killed someone, someone innocent. This couldn't be happening. Sure, he had killed monsters before, but this was an innocent person. All because of him being a werevamp, this boy was dead. Tommy got up and flew into the air, shaking his head in disbelief as he backed away. He turned around and flew as fast as he could, leaving the dead boy there in his final resting place. 

Lori shivered in the cold night air of the woods, her breath forming as mist in front of her. Now she wished she'd brought a jacket with her, but in her hurry to get to Bakersville, she had forgotten to bring it along. She came into a particularly dark patch of trees, and looked at them wearily as they cast eerie shapes across the ground. Suddenly, a faint light began to glow inside the trees, and whispers suddenly filled the air and echoed about her. Lori turned to look every which way, finding no one there. _Come to me, Lori, _she heard a disembodied voice call, _Come to your master, where your destiny awaits . . . Come to me, my queen, where fate will bring us together once more . . . Now your friends are gone and we can finally be together . . . _That same call repeated, this time growing softer. It continued to repeat itself, growing fainter each time. "Wait!" Lori called, "Where are you?!" She ran towards the dark trees, where the sound was fading to. 

Merton looked about the woods, flying to quicken his pace. "Lori?" he asked, a slight squeak to his voice, "You around? Yoo-hoo? Anybody home?" His eyes shifted from tree to tree, and he got nervous as it got darker around him. He began to slow down, his eyes shifting even quicker than before. There was some crackling behind Merton, and he stopped cold. "L-Lori?" he asked nervously. There was no answer. Merton whipped around, in the air and yelled out, flying back. "Jeez, Tommy, don't scare me like that!" Tommy just looked at Merton and shook his head. "Merton, stake me now," he said, deadly serious.   
There was a pause. "What?" "Stake me!" "Tommy, I can't stake you! No way!" Merton said, taken aback that his friend would request what he did. "Merton, I killed someone, and they were innocent!" Tommy said, as if he didn't want to believe it, "You have to stake me, I don't want to kill anyone else!" Merton furrowed his brows. "You killed someone? How? When?" Tommy sighed. "I was in the woods, and this guy came up behind me, and it all happened so fast . . . But that could happen again, so you have to stake me!" Merton shook his head. "No, Tommy, it was an accident, I can't stake you!" Tommy's eyes glowed yellow, and he growled. "Stake me, Merton! Stake me or I'll do it myself!" "Tommy, no--" Tommy sighed and grabbed a branch if a tree, breaking it off so the end was sharp. Merton flew at Tommy, grabbing the stake and pulling it away from him.   
Tommy grabbed back the stake, putting it to his chest. Merton once again pulled it from him. Tommy lunged at him in the air angrily, grabbing the stake, and they each pulled at it. "Let go, Merton!" yelled Tommy angrily, pulling at the stake. "No," Merton said in frustration, "I can't let you kill yourself!" "But I killed someone innocent!" Tommy said in retaliation, pulling harder. Tommy punched Merton in the face, and they both went tumbling to the ground, rolling around, each trying to get the stake away from the other. "Let . . . go!" Tommy yelled through clenched teeth, punching Merton in the nose with one hand. "No!" Merton yelled once more, pulling even harder at the stake. "Stop pulling!" Tommy yelled, turning the stake around in Merton's hand so that the point was facing towards him. Tommy started to pull it towards him, but Merton turned it back around so that the opposite end was facing Tommy. He tugged at it harder, and Tommy finally let go, rolling off of Merton. Merton was still pulling at the stake when Tommy let go, and he pulled it straight towards him, the stake going square through his chest. His eyes went wide, and his breath went short. He looked down at his chest, where the end of the stake could be seen.   
"T-Tommy--" Merton choked, pulling the stake out. "No!" Tommy yelled, putting a hand on Merton's shoulder, "Merton, this isn't happening! I can't kill someone else, especially not you!" "Tommy," Merton said, a rasp in his voice and his eyes still wide, "F-Find . . . Haim . . . and save . . . Lori . . . " Then Merton closed his eyes, falling limp. "Merton, no!" Tommy yelled, shaking his friend. Suddenly, Merton began to glow bright yellow, and Tommy flew back in shock. Tommy looked at his own hands, which had began to glow a faint yellow, slowly getting brighter. Merton floated into the air, hanging limp as if he were a puppet on strings. Tommy looked in shock as his hands began to slowly fade away . . . 

_Chapter Nine: Merton Can't Die Twice, Can He?_

Otoniel flew through the woods, searching for Tommy and Merton. It had been about an hour, and he was getting worried. "Where are those two?" he asked himself, scanning the trees, "It's been too long . . . " He suddenly saw a light in the trees, and furrowed his brows, floating towards it. 

When he came into the clearing, there was a huge flash of light, like thunder, and Otoniel flew back into a tree, sliding down and wincing. When the light cleared, he saw Tommy standing there with his eyes open, and Merton laying down next to him. Suddenly, Merton opened his eyes and got up, looking shocked. He felt his chest quickly, then smiled, hugging Tommy. "I'm alive!" Merton paused, "Well, undead again!" "Whoa!" Tommy said, smiling too, "You should be dead! The stake went through you and everything, and there was this light and-- I'm so glad you're not dead!" Tommy smiled even wider, and pulled Merton into a hug.   
Otoniel cleared his throat from behind them and they quickly pulled apart, Merton falling to the ground, but quickly getting up as if nothing had happened. "What happened here?" Otoniel asked calmly, "What do you guys mean, you're alive? And what was that light?" Merton clasped his hands together laughing nervously. "Simple misunderstanding," he explained, "I was staked, and then . . . Tommy, care to explain what happened afterwards?" Tommy cleared his throat and spoke up. "There was this light, and we both started glowing, then everything just disappeared. Then we were back here, you weren't staked, and Otoniel showed up." "Exactly," Merton added enthusiastically. "Hm . . . " Otoniel looked deep in thought, "I wonder what that light was . . . and why you're alive when you should have been staked and dusted . . . " Otoniel continued to ponder to himself, pacing around the woods. He shook his head, as if going back to reality. "We should find Lori, and by the smell of it she's long since gone from this spot, but I think she's still in the woods . . . Come on," Otoniel waved for Tommy and Merton to follow him, which they did, still smiling. 

_Come to me, little one, I can teach you to become queen . . . _"Where are you?!" Lori yelled angrily to the air, trying to shake the whispers out of her head. _Listen to me, chosen lady of the undead, follow my voice . . . You will find me . . . _Lori put her hands to her head, trying to shake the whispers away. "No no no! Show yourself, you-- you coward!" There came an evil laughter, but it soon died out, and she ran towards the sounds as they began to fade away. The trees seemed to pass her by as she ran quickly through the woods, occasionally tumbling on a rock or twig. As she ran, she suddenly ran into a tall figure from behind, falling on the ground. She closed her eyes. "Stay away from me, you hear?! Stay away!" she yelled out, putting her hands to her head. "Whoa, Lori!" Lori opened her eyes and saw Tommy, Merton, and Otoniel there, looking at her with concern. She got up and went into a fighting stance. "You!" she yelled at Otoniel, "You're doing that, aren't you?! You're evil!" Lori ran at Otoniel, but Tommy went in front of her. "Lori," Tommy said, trying to calm her, "It's okay, he's helping us. Are you okay?" Lori took in a deep breath, and put her fists down. "I'm fine, but I keep hearing these whispers, and they're saying to follow them. I--" Lori paused, the whispers began again. _Go to Clerksville, fair lady, go there and I will give you more instructions . . ._   
"You what?" "Huh?" Lori shook her head. "You what?" Merton asked again. "I heard the whispers again! They said to go to Clerksville, and then they'd tell me where to go next." Merton looked apprehensive, and glanced at Otoniel. "I guess we should go, and maybe we'll find Haim, he could be doing it . . . " Merton mused, looking from Otoniel to Tommy, then from Tommy back to Lori. "Sounds good to me," Tommy said, sounding almost eager to be getting somewhere, "But one thing. We're kind of going low on food here . . . " Otoniel nodded. "I'm going to hunt, then you can both feed from me, just as a precaution. I need us to be as hidden as possible, and making one kill is risky enough. I'll meet you back here in an hour." Otoniel flew into the air and into the woods once more, the gang either lost in thought, or too caught up in fear to say anything.   
Otoniel could smell someone in the woods, though he couldn't quite place who. It should be easy prey, given his experience for the past one hundred fifty years. He slowly glided through the trees, smelling the familiar scent of human flesh. There was some rustling, and he peered between two trees, seeing a boy, about fourteen with black hair and brown eyes, standing there. He was pacing the woods, a pencil and paper in hand. "I see you limp, and wonder why . . . " the boy said to himself, "What goes next? I can do this poem! I see you limp, and wonder why . . . " Otoniel grinned to himself. He was into poetry himself, though he had never pursued it too much. "I see you limp, and wonder why . . . " the boy muttered again, furrowing his brows.   
Otoniel leapt from the trees and the boy spun around, eyes going wide. The boy dropped the pencil and paper, mouth open in shock. Otoniel took this opportunity to take a dagger from his jacket, stabbing the boy in the chest. He slowly sank to the ground, his eyes still open in shock. "I see you limp, and wonder why," Otoniel said as he put some blood on his finger tips and licked it off, "Your flesh is torn, now it's time to die." Otoniel grinned. "Has a nice ring to it, kid," he said to the dead body in front of him, "You could have been something." Then he grabbed the limp body in front of him and sank his fangs into the boy's neck, drinking the blood and savoring the nourishment.   
Merton floated in the air, watching his friends. Lori was pacing restlessly, and Tommy was sitting on the ground, hugging his knees and staring at the starry sky. He wondered what his friends were thinking now. Lori was no doubt thinking of the best way to kill Haim, or the fastest way to get to Clerksville. It was easy to tell Lori's thoughts sometimes, given her way of greeting the bad guys. However, sometimes it was so hard to tell what she was thinking. Her feelings were always bottled up inside, and he had always thought her anger was just a cover up of what she was really thinking. And then there was Tommy. Most people could tell what he was thinking, or at least thought they could. Merton was one of them. Tommy was usually either thinking about football, girls, or bad guys. Strangely enough, there were certain times where Tommy was just a mysterious box, nailed shut and chained, which contained all the secrets of the universe. It was at those times that Merton wanted to know what Tommy was thinking the most, though lacked the courage to ask him. He decided that Lori was too stressed right now to be bothered, so he mustered up as much courage as he could and flew over to Tommy.   
Lori paced the woods quickly, listening intently around her. Her footsteps going in a continual rhythm, an owl hooting into the night, the leaves rustling as a breeze blew by. She wondered what this all meant. These whispers were coming to her, and only her. Was it Haim? Was it some new force they hadn't dealt with before? She was frightened, as much as she hated to admit it. Tommy and Merton were right in front of her, right before her eyes, yet they were dead. Both blood sucking fiends whom they usually fought together. Not to mention Merton was now evil, and because Tommy wanted to stay good, he was dying because of it. And then there was Otoniel. He was strange, and she didn't trust him at all, yet they were all depending on him to figure this out. Lori couldn't depend on him, yet she couldn't depend on Tommy or Merton either, given their state at the moment. She was utterly alone. That's what made her frightened. She had never had to deal with these things alone. There was always Tommy or Merton to turn to. Now all she had was her conscience to guide her, which was the one thing in the world she never wanted to listen to. She sighed and continued pacing.   
Tommy hugged his knees and stared at the stars. He normally didn't think about this, but he wished he could be near those stars right now. He felt if he could touch one, everything he needed to know would come to him. Everything that had happened had come so fast. Merton disappearing, him dying, the mysterious light in the woods. And now these whispers were coming to Lori, and they were going on a wild goose chase. But there was one thing nagging at his mind. He had killed Merton earlier. Memories flashed past his mind like a filmstrip: Seeing the stake go through Merton, hearing Merton's plea to help the others, the blood that came from his friend. After all Merton had done for him, fed him when he was dying, helped him through thick and thin, he had killed him. Merton had said earlier that it was all right, but Tommy felt guilty. Losing Merton was, in his opinion, the worst tragedy, yet he had died, and the worst part was, _he_ had killed him. Sure, Merton was all right now, but he couldn't help thinking the what ifs. What if Merton was gone? What if that light had never appeared? What if he had just never searched, and never killed the boy, never leading him to want to kill himself? What if . . . ?   
Merton tapped Tommy on the shoulder, sending him abruptly out of his thoughts. He sat down beside him, smiling. "So," Merton said, enthusiasm clear in his voice, "How you feeling? Excited? Blue? Mad?" Tommy sighed. He knew Merton was just trying to start conversation, and he already partially knew how he felt about they journey they were on, but he really didn't feel like talking much. "I'm just thinking . . . " replied Tommy quietly, the stars reflected in his eyes as he gazed at them. Merton looked up at the stars too, taking in a deep breath. "Well," Merton said, quieter and calmer this time, "about what?" Tommy shook his head. "Nothing." "Doesn't sound like nothing. Are we going to need a group hug?" Merton smiled, putting his arms out. "No, Merton," Tommy said, tearing his eyes away from the sky to look at his friend, "I just need some time to think about things . . . " "I could help you with it," Merton volunteered, "Just tell me what you need help with." Tommy sighed. "It's nothing." "Tommy--" "It's nothing!" Tommy yelled angrily, his eyes glowing. "Tommy, tell me--" "I killed you, Merton, and I just can't forgive myself for that!"   
There was a pause. Merton definitely hadn't expected to hear that. However, instead of looking shocked or angry, he smiled. "Is that all? Tommy, it's all okay now, you don't have to be mad at yourself. I'm right here, I'm alive. Well, technically undead, but you get the point." "No, Merton," Tommy said quietly, yet still angry all the same, "You don't get it. We're friends, but friends don't stake each other. Besides, you'd be dead right now if it weren't for that light, and we don't even know what it was!" Merton stopped smiling and thought for a moment. "Tommy, maybe me not dying was supposed to be a sign that you killing me wasn't meant to be. Maybe you were supposed to be the good guy all the time. Besides, I killed you, remember?" Tommy sighed. "I guess you're right . . . " he paused and laughed. "You know, a year ago I would have never thought that I'd be sitting here talking to you about our own deaths." Merton smiled. "Be neither," he said, clapping a hand to Tommy's shoulder, "Of course, a year ago, I wouldn't have imagined talking to you at all, death or no." Tommy laughed, back to his own self. "Thanks, Merton," he said, "I needed that." "No problem. What are friends for?" Friends. True friends. That's what they were, and that's what Tommy hoped they'd always be. 

_Chapter Ten: Some Heat And More Violence_

Once more, they had all gotten into the Hearse, and were driving towards Clerksville. They left Bakersville and the scenery around them quickly changed from trees and forest to barren desert. The weather was very warm despite it being how late it was, and to add to that they were all wearing black, except for Lori, who, despite her proper clothing, still looked uncomfortable in the heat. "Are we there yet?" Tommy asked for the sixth time, grabbing the map and fanning himself with it. "No." Merton looked agitated as he turned the steering wheel, looking out at the dirt road in front of them. Otoniel looked out the window and read a sign: **Clerksville, 200 miles.** He sighed. Lori fanned herself with her hand, sighing as well.   
They continued for an hour or so, and a cafe came into view down the road. The Hearse slowed down a bit, and they pulled over next to it. "Well," Merton said, pulling the keys out of the ignition, "Should we stop here and look around? We've still got quite aways to go." Otoniel peered outside. "It's getting light out," he muttered, once again more to himself than the others, "We shouldn't spend too much time inside." The others nodded. "As long as we get to some air conditioning," Lori said, fanning herself with her hand, "It's so hot in here." The others nodded in agreement, each as displeased with the heat as she was. So Merton opened his door and stepped out, Otoniel, Tommy, and Lori following suit.   
Merton eyed the doorknob warily. He knocked on the door, despite how stupid it may have looked to others. Someone inside peered through the window, and looked back at their food, ignoring the four people outside. Finally, a tall waitresses with shoulder length red hair, freckles, and blue eyes came to the door and opened it. "It's a public place, you don't need to knock," she said with a southern accent, but smiling lopsidedly the whole time. There was a pause, and Merton stood there, mouth open. "D-I-- Hi." Merton smiled. The waitress shook his hand politely. "Hi . . . " There was another pause, and the waitress stared at the four of them, who stood there. Lori finally sighed and made her way inside, pulling the waitress out of earshot.   
"Listen," Lori whispered, "my friends have a unique condition. They think they're vampires because they were in an accident and got amnesia, so you have to invite them in." The waitress looked concerned. "Are you sure they should be here if they think that?" Lori nodded her head. "Don't worry, it's all under control. We're going to be eating something, then we'll be on our way." The waitress nodded and returned to the door, where Merton, Tommy, and Otoniel still stood, wearing black trench coats and sunglasses as before. "Come on in," she said cheerily, "Have a seat somewhere and we'll be right with you." Merton smiled goofily at the waitress. Otoniel just nodded and stepped in. Merton continued to stare, but Tommy grabbed him and pulled him inside.   
It turned out that the place wasn't air conditioned as they had thought, and Lori sat at the bar, pulling off her sweater and tying it around her waist. The heat was very unusual. Otoniel had noticed the strange warmth, yet he couldn't quite place why it was happening. Merton continued to stare at the waitress, a goofy smile on his face. Tommy stared longingly at the menu, though didn't order anything seeing as he no longer needed regular food. They had ordered a small platter of fries to seem less conspicuous. Otoniel stared at the fries with contempt, pushing them away from him and towards Lori, who grabbed a few and ate them.   
Tommy tore his eyes away from the fries and looked around. There was a trucker sitting next to him, who was a rather skinny man with tanned skin and bags under his eyes, with long gray hair put in a pony tail in back. He was reading a newspaper. On the heading of an article is said: **Murders In Bakersville, Fact Or Fiction? **Tommy read the small print as best he could from that distance. It said there were six murders, each person found with two identical holes in their neck. He furrowed his brows and turned to Merton. He poked him on the shoulder, making him jump and tear his eyes away from the waitress, turning to look at Tommy.   
"Hey, dude, did you feed off anyone in Bakersville?" Tommy asked. Merton shook his head. "No; why?" "There were six murders in Bakersville when we were there, and they all had two holes in their neck," Tommy explained, "It had to be a vampire, and it couldn't have been Haim if he's in Clerksville." Merton furrowed his brows. "Well, Otoniel said he'd fed off of someone in the woods, but six people's going a little overboard." "And the person I killed is the second person, but four people are still dead. You think Otoniel's lying?" Tommy asked. "I don't know," the young vampire replied, "I don't think he would do that. After all, he did save us numerous times." Tommy shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. Haim's gone, you didn't kill anyone and I only killed one person, so that leaves Otoniel. He's the only other vampire that was there. Otoniel wouldn't kill that many people with no purpose . . . Would he?" Tommy and Merton glanced at Otoniel, who was muttering to himself about the french fries and staring at them suspiciously, as if they were poisoned.   
Merton shook his head again. "I don't know, but it's getting light outside. We have to find some place to hide until night." There was a pause of thought, then Tommy spoke up. "We could stay at a hotel, there's one a few miles from here." Merton furrowed his brows. "How do you know that?" "It said on the map." Merton shrugged his shoulders and stood up, bumping into the truck driver that had been reading the newspaper. The truck driver turned around, hands clenched into fists. "You better watch it, you little punk, or you'll find yourself locked in the trunk of your parent's car!" Merton laughed nervously. "Heh heh, as much as I'd love to comment on your looks and smell, my friends and I have to be going."   
The truck driver glared at him. "What did you just say?" "Nothi--" The truck driver yelled in anger and punched Merton in the face, sending his sunglasses flying across the room and Merton back into the bar. Tommy, Lori, and Otoniel stood up. Lori had her hands balled into fists and was in a fighting stance, Tommy looked like he was on the verge of wolfing out, and Otoniel, unlike the others, seemed calm, yet still angered. "Listen," he said quietly, his voice full of malice, "Leave my friends alone and we'll get out of your way."   
The truck driver laughed, his breath smelling of whiskey and cigars. "I'm not letting this punk get away with anything! Now why don't you three vanper look alikes leave with your little girlfriend before I cut your throats?" Otoniel suddenly flew into the air, eyes turning white, grabbing the man's throat and pushing him against the wall, both of them floating about five feet in the air. "We're called vampires, _punk_," Otoniel said angrily, "Say it right! Now are we called?" "V-Vampires!" The truck driver choked, looking so terrified that he'd wet his pants, "Listen, I'm sorry, man, I didn't know! Let me go!" Otoniel squeezed harder pushing the truck driver higher up the wall.   
Suddenly, he looked around him and saw everyone staring in shock. He threw the man down, and he went crashing into a couple of tables, both of them breaking in half. Otoniel landed on the ground and picked up Merton's sunglasses, handing them to the shocked goth standing at the bar. "Come on," Otoniel said to the other three, "I'm going to say something I've wanted to say for one hundred fifty years." They all walked to the door and Otoniel stopped before he reached the doorknob, turning to face Tommy, Merton, Lori, and the shocked crowd. "Let's blow this joint!" Otoniel yelled before opening the door and leaving. The crowd stared at Merton, Lori, and Tommy, and the three of them quickly headed out the door. 

_Chapter Eleven: Reflections And Suspicion_

"Wait, what the heck was that?!" Merton yelled, running to catch up with Otoniel as he walked quickly towards the Hearse. Otoniel didn't reply, but opened the door of the Hearse angrily. "Give me the keys," Otoniel demanded, holding his hand out to Merton. "Otoniel, you didn't answer me. Why did you do that back there?" Otoniel's eyes suddenly turned white, and he flew closer to Merton. "Listen," he growled, "Because of your antics in there, we can't stay in town. Just give me the keys before I get even more angry!" Merton looked shocked. "Hey, I didn't bump into the guy on pur--" "Give me the keys, Dingle, or you'll see my bad side!" Merton reluctantly stuck his hands into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the Hearse, handing them to Otoniel, who grabbed them angrily. 

For half an hour, the four of them drove in silence, the heat getting to them. It began to get light outside, so they stopped in a small town, pulling over beside a small blue building proudly proclaiming in huge green letters: **The Smoky Inn.** Otoniel pulled the keys out of the ignition, putting them in his pocket instead of returning them to Merton. "Come on," he muttered quietly, opening the door, "We can stay here until night." Lori folded her arms. "I'm going to look around town," she stated plainly, stepping out of the Hearse, "I'll come back around nine." Then Lori walked away, not giving a glance back. 

Inside the hotel, they got two rooms. When they went inside, the room looked small and shabby, with a single bed and a dresser, with a small white phone. There was a blue door with peeling paint, where Tommy and Merton went through to the other room. The other room looked exactly the same, except this time it had a portrait of a bowl of fruit. Otoniel stayed in the other room, and Tommy shut the door, sitting on the small bed with white sheets.   
"Merton, do you think Otoniel murdered those people?" Merton furrowed his brows. "Yeah, I do," he replied, baring his fangs, "He shouldn't waste so much good blood on himself!" Merton flew into the air angrily, clenching his fists. Tommy's eyes went wide. "Whoa, Merton!" Merton paused from an angry rant, then his face softened. "Sorry, evil kicking in again," he paused and glided down, sitting on the bed next to Tommy, "I think he did kill them. But the one question I have is why. I mean, they were dead, but they didn't have any of their blood gone, so why would he kill them if he wasn't feeding?" Tommy shook his head.   
"I'm wondering the same thing. But I don't know. Why would he save us if he was a murderer? I mean, he said he was a good vampire, maybe he's telling the truth. I just don't know, it all seems confusing. Plus we still don't know why you're alive, and we don't know if Haim's sending Lori those whispers in her head." Tommy stopped a moment to take a deep breath in. "This is getting weird, weirder than normal." Merton nodded in agreement. "Well, weirdness does seem to have a certain attraction to us," he stated calmly, now losing his angry edge he had had seconds ago. Tommy sighed and fell back on the bed, covering his face with his hands. "This is all coming too fast . . . " There was a pause as the boys reflected to themselves.   
"You okay?" Tommy removed his hands from his face. "Huh?" "You okay? You seem tired." Tommy sighed again. "I'm just feeling tired now . . . I probably haven't eaten in awhile." Merton put on a concerned look. "We need to feed again, don't we?" Merton didn't wait for an answer and pulled down the collar of his shirt. "No, Merton, we can't keep doing this. You could die . . . again." Merton shook his head. "Tommy, you'll die too if you don't get any blood." Tommy sighed and closed in on Merton, feeding once more.   
Tommy leaned back on the floor. The windows were all shaded to keep the light out, and they were all trying to rest. He hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep though. Memories were once again coming back to him. The boy's screams, him killing the person with no mercy. It wasn't like him. He couldn't kill anyone; it was too horrible. He pondered for a moment, then a new thought came to him. Was he evil? He had killed someone, yet no one with any heart in them would murder. Not to mention he had killed Merton too, which made it double the crime. Guilt sank down upon him, and he licked his fangs. He had those fangs because of Merton-- No, because of Haim. Haim had started this all, by one bite, and this whole chain of events occurred. If they had never met Haim, maybe it would have been different. But they did meet Haim, and things weren't different. He was . . . evil. 

_Chapter Twelve: Newspaper Clippings_

Merton was running through dark blackness. There was no visible ground, yet he could feel something firm beneath him. Suddenly, Haim appeared out of nowhere, baring his fangs. Merton screamed in fright, turning around and running. When he turned around, he was face to face with Tommy, who bared his fangs at him too. He tried to ask Tommy what he was doing, but no sound came out, no matter how hard he tried. Otoniel appeared and smiled evilly, his eyes turning white as he laughed. The laugh echoed in Merton's ears, and Tommy and Haim joined in the laughing. The three vampires surrounded Merton, and he sank down, fear clearly etched on his face.   
"What's the matter?" Tommy sneered, wolfing out and baring his fangs as his eyes glowed yellow, "Frightened, Merton?" Merton shook his head and turned to run away, but Otoniel was standing there, smiling. "Hey, Dingle," Otoniel said calmly, his eyes still bright white, "Up for a good kill tonight? Because I brought some friends and we're going to be killing someone . . . " He took a step towards Merton, chuckling. Merton turned another way, finding this way blocked by Haim. Haim laughed and stepped towards him. "Hello, Merton, evil getting to you yet? I knew I wasn't wrong biting you, you murdered even your best friend."   
"No!" Merton yelled, suddenly having a voice, "It was an accident! I didn't mean to!" Tommy suddenly appeared before him. His clothes were torn and he was extremely pale, and there was blood dripping from his mouth. There were many cuts and bruises on him. "Merton, don't you remember?" Tommy asked, the blood dripping from his mouth onto his shirt, "You killed me. You killed others." Then another Tommy appeared, still wolfed out and baring his fangs. "Look what you did to me, Merton, you turned me evil," the werewolf Tommy said, stepping forward.   
Merton shook his head. "I didn't mean to! It-- It was an accident!" He turned to run from the four figures looming before him, and Lori was standing there, clothed in a long black dress with long sleeves that billowed out, her hair let down. She smiled, now having fangs. "Look what you did, Merton," she said, Haim and the others coming up behind her, "You led us straight to Corey, and now I'm his queen." The dead Tommy floated behind Lori. "You killed us, Merton," they said in unison. "No! No!" Merton yelled, putting his hands over his ears, "It was an accident, I didn't know! Stop it! I didn't mean to!" The werewolf Tommy walked over to Merton and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Merton! Merton!" Merton shut his eyes and shook his head. "Please, I didn't mean to!" he yelled again. The werewolf Tommy continued to shake him. "Merton, wake up! Merton!"   
"Ah!" Merton yelled out and woke up from the bed, covered in cold sweat. Tommy was above him, looking concerned. "Merton, what happened? You were yelling about how you didn't mean to do something and how there was an accident," he explained, looking worried. Merton shook his head, breathing deeply. "I was having the weirdest dream." "Really?" Tommy asked, sounding a bit interested, "Tell me about it." Merton shook his head again, getting out of the bed. "No," he said quietly, "Maybe sometime I'll tell you about it, but not now. Sorry about waking you up." "Nah," Tommy waved his hand dismissively, "I needed to get up anyway. It's night and Lori should be getting here any minute."   
No sooner had Tommy finished his statement when the door opened and Otoniel and Lori stepped inside. "Ready to go?" "Yeah!" the teen vampires said in unison, both sounding as if they didn't want to reveal something. They glanced at each other, then back and Otoniel and Lori. Lori furrowed her brows, then shook her head. "Okay, if you're ready to go, we need to head towards Clerksville," she told them. They both flew into the air. Merton smiled enthusiastically. "To the Mertonmobile!" he called triumphantly, pointing to the door. Lori rolled her eyes and went outside. Tommy laughed and shook his head while Otoniel grinned and walked out the door. 

When they reached the Hearse, Merton sat in the driver's seat as usual, putting on his sunglasses. "Merton, why are you putting sunglasses on?" Lori asked from the back seat. "It makes me look cool," Merton replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, "Wouldn't you like someone in shades?" Lori shook her head. "Just drive." Merton put the keys in the ignition and pulled the Hearse out. "Jeez, are you sure it's even night?" Tommy asked, "It's so hot out here." He removed his trench coat and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, fanning himself with the map again. "Yeah," Lori agreed, "It's burning up." Merton turned the air conditioning on, though he could still feel the warmth from outside.   
After a few hours, they were sweating and tired, and they came into a small town. They pulled over in the parking lot of a shopping center and Merton turned to face the others in the back. "Okay," he said, "This is our stop for now. I'm going to check some places out, you guys wait here." He opened the door and walked out. "Wait," Tommy said, "Where are you going?" Merton didn't reply and continued on his way outside. 

**I was bored out of my mind. I don't know about you, but when I'm stuck in a Hearse in the middle of the night, and it's burning hot, I tend to get bored. Well, I wasn't the only one who thought it was dull . . .**

Lori finally sighed and opened the door. "Where are you going?" Tommy asked curiously after rolling down the window. "I'm not waiting on Merton," Lori said angrily, "I'm going to see what he's doing. He's been gone for an hour and I don't want to be stuck here all night." "Er-- Wait up, I'll come with you," Tommy said as he opened the door, "You coming, Otoniel?" Otoniel just grinned lopsidedly and flipped on the radio. "Go on, I'll wait here in the Hearse." Tommy nodded and shut the door, following after Lori. 

"Okay," Lori said as they walked, "Use your wolf senses to track him. It's night, so no one will notice." Tommy shook his head. "Lori, I-- I can't do that--" "Why not?" Lori turned to face him. "Well, there's this thing--" "Tommy, just wolf out, come on." Tommy sighed. "Now that I'm a vampire, I can't really wolf out or it hurts. I can't be a vampire and a werewolf at the same time. It's bad enough at a full moon, I really don't want to cause it on purpose." Lori sighed. "I guess we'll just have to look for him the old fashioned way." She continued to walk around, looking for places Merton might have gone to. 

**This search was getting nowhere. They say that when you have motivation, you can get a lot of things you don't want to do done. Well, I wanted to find Merton a lot, because he was a good friend and I was wondering what was taking so long, but that wasn't really much of a motivation for me. Well, after searching the whole town, I was really getting bored . . .**

"There's this place, he might be in there." Lori pointed out a small stone building, which they supposed was a library. "Yeah, but I don't know what he needs to be in here for," Tommy muttered to Lori. There was a sign on the door saying plainly: **Come in, readers welcome!** "Seems like an invite," Tommy said to himself. He wondered if it would work. He opened the door and stepped inside. It worked. "Tommy, look!" Lori whispered, pointing at something. Merton was sitting at one of the computers, typing away with an open mouth.   
They slowly made their way towards Merton, the Goth apparently not noticing their arrival. "Merton, what are you doing?" Tommy inquired. Merton jumped. "Guys!" he yelled out, swiveling around in his chair. The librarian gave them a stern look. "Sh!" Merton nodded his head at the librarian, who shook her head and walked away to another row of books. "Guys, what are you doing here?" Merton asked in a whisper. "What are _we_ doing here?" Lori whispered back, "What are _you _doing here? You left us out there for like an hour!"   
Merton gestured with his hands at the computer screen, and Tommy and Lori looked at it closely. There were clips from newspapers there. "Look here, guys," Merton said, clicking on an image of a particular clip, "This was from a couple days ago in one of the towns we left." He pointed to the screen. "There were six murders, and each person had been bitten by a vampire, but not sucked of their blood. And take a look at this." He clicked another couple of images. "There were six more murders in another of the towns we stopped in, and there were multiple murders in Bakersville, not to mention Pleasantville. Each of the murders were the same, two holes, no blood taken. Now it wasn't me who did that, because I at least suck their blood, you," he pointed to Tommy, "couldn't do it because you can't kill. And you," he pointed to Lori, "aren't a vampire at all."   
Tommy furrowed his brows. "So you think it was Otoniel?" Merton nodded his head. "I'm dead sure. There's only two other vampires, and Haim was in Clerksville this whole time. That leaves Otoniel." Lori balled her hands into fists. "We have to stake him then!" "No, Lori," Tommy said, "He saved our lives. I don't know, it just doesn't seem like something Otoniel would do." "Who else is left, Tommy? Otoniel's murdering all these people!" Tommy shook his head. "I don't think he did it. He said he was a good vampire. Besides, why would he all of a sudden kill all these people without sucking their blood or anything?" Lori stamped her foot. "I don't know, but that's what we're going to find out." Then she turned and ran out of the library, ignoring the librarian's angry calls. "Wait, Lori, you can't stake him!" Tommy ran after her. Merton quickly exited the page he was in on the computer and ran after them, causing more angry calls from the librarian. 

"Otoniel, you lying, murdering freak of nature!" Otoniel furrowed his brows and flipped off the radio. "What?" "Get out of the car!" Lori yelled angrily. Otoniel, clueless as to what Lori was so angry about, stepped outside of the car. Lori grabbed a stake, which had been so conveniently placed in the back of the Hearse, and charged at Otoniel. "Hey!" Otoniel flew into the air, the stake missing his chest by an inch. "What was that for?!" "You killed all those people! All those murders in those towns were because of you!" Otoniel looked confused, but then his eyes turned bright white, his expression turning angry. "You're saying I murdered a bunch of people for no reason at all? Okay, I know you don't trust me, but this has gone too far!" Otoniel lunged at Lori and knocked the stake out of her hands, pushing her over and pinning her to the ground. He lowered in and was about to sink his fangs into her neck when there came a yell. "Otoniel, stop, we can explain!" He looked up to find Merton and Tommy floating nearby. 

"Okay," Otoniel said as they drove, "There were all these murders in town, and none of the blood was taken? Strange. I don't know what you thought, but I'm telling you the truth; I didn't murder anyone unless for feeding purposes, and even then it was only one or two, not at least six a town." Lori sat in the back next to Tommy, her arms folded stubbornly. She stayed silent and glared at Otoniel. "It's weird," Tommy added in, "I wonder what the heck's going on . . . " He wiped his forehead, rolling down his window. "It's so warm in here . . . " Merton sighed. "I don't understand. It's fall, and it's night, but it feels like the Sahara Desert." He turned, grabbed the map from Otoniel, and fanned himself with it. "It's probably going to get colder later . . . " Otoniel said quietly, "Nothing really . . . " He sounded doubtful of his statement. 

They were coming to the edge of town, and Otoniel suddenly sat up straight, looking at something.   
"Stop here," he told Merton. Merton pulled over and Otoniel stepped out, grabbing a newspaper from a stand. His eyes went wide. He quickly paid the man at the stand and went back to the Hearse with the paper. "Look at this!" he gave Merton the newspaper and Merton's eyes went wide. "Murders- Do We Have A vampire In Our Midst?" Merton read, "There have been numerous murders within the past few days, each with two identical holes in their necks. "It's a vampire," says Mayor Lipton, "And we're going to find it and hunt it down."" Merton looked up. "Now the town's hunting us!" Lori sat up angrily. "I told you Otoniel murdered them! He went to town when you were asleep or something and killed them!" Otoniel looked angry and his eyes turned white. "Let's not start this again! I didn't kill those people!" "Oh, admit it, you liar, you killed them all!" 

_Chapter Thirteen: Conflict And Paranoia_

Otoniel looked angry. "Merton, pull over!" Merton, not wanting to argue with the angry vampire next to him, pulled the Hearse over on the dusty road. Otoniel angrily snapped the door open and flew out and the others quickly followed suit. He flew into the air, his eyes still white. "Okay, human, you want to start this again? I've gotten one hundred fifty years of experience in this world, and never once did I get more insulted! I would never murder all of these people without good reasoning!"   
Lori balled her hands into fists. "You may be a vampire, but I've dealt with your kind before!" Otoniel seemed even more angry and flew higher in the air. "_My _kind? What exactly is that?!" "Lori, we're vampires too," Merton piped in. "Shut up, Merton!" Lori snapped back. "Right, can do . . . " The Goth took a step back. Tommy, however took a step forward. "I know Lori kind of just insulted us there, but she's kind of right. No one else could have murdered them. I didn't think you did before, but it all kind of adds up." Otoniel looked at Tommy angrily. "Why won't you believe me? I didn't kill anyone without good reasoning, and even then it was only one! I suppose Merton's saying I'm a murderer too!" "Actually--" "Shut up, Merton!" Lori said once more.   
"Lori, now that was uncalled--"   
"Why can't you believe--"   
"I can't believe you people--"   
"Why can't we--"   
"Shut up!" Everyone (minus Merton) yelled this in unison, looking angrily at one another. "Guys!" Merton finally burst out. "What?!" Everyone turned to look at him, each with an angry look. Tommy's eyes were glowing yellow, Otoniel's were white, and Lori had her jaw set tight and her hands balled into fists. "Am I the only one who has a feeling we're being watched?" Lori's hands unclenched and her jaw loosened. "I do kind of . . . " "Now can we finally put this argument to rest?" Otoniel asked calmly, landing and letting his eyes shift back to their normal green. "Yeah . . . " Lori sighed defeatedly, "I guess we should put a rest on it." She paused. "For now."   
The four of them were once more driving in the Hearse, all of them tense because of the earlier conflict. Each of them were deep in thought, and it was obvious none of them were paying attention to the radio, which was blaring loudly.   
Merton continued to drive as normal, deep in thought like the others. He not only had brought up his feeling of being watched to stop the fight earlier, but he had brought it up because it was starting to scare him. Ever since they had left Pleasantville, he had had an eerie feeling that he was being watched. He had ignored it at first, but the feeling got stronger, and he began to feel insecure. Even then, as he drove, he felt paranoid, and repeatedly looked into the mirror to see if any cars were behind them, or if someone was walking along the road, each time seeing the same dusty road.   
Otoniel sat by, eyeing Lori every once and awhile. He wasn't angry at Lori or any of the others anymore, he was just curious to know why he seemed so untrustworthy. Lori was probably angry because he had tried to feed off of her before, yet he couldn't imagine why Tommy and Merton didn't trust him. He had saved their lives numerous times, not to mention he had helped them through this wild goose chase after Corey Haim voluntarily.   
Lori shifted her eyes from one window to the next, seeing nothing but dusty road and old signs. She couldn't believe what was going on. Before her, inside of a Hearse, mind you, were three vampires. She knew Tommy and Merton would never hurt her, but Otoniel was someone she didn't trust. He had tried to kill her when they first met, and he had apologized afterwards, but she couldn't help but think it was all a set up. As if he had purposely not killed her then to gain her trust, then betray her afterwards. Maybe he was in league with Haim, maybe it was some new enemy, or maybe he just wanted to murder some people, and he was some kind of homicidal maniac. She didn't know, but she was going to find that out.   
Tommy stared at the ceiling of the Hearse, lost in thought as well. He hadn't told the others, but he was also feeling uneasy and as if he was being watched. For some reason, he didn't want to tell the others. He supposed he shouldn't tell them because it would add to their problems. Being paranoid had always been their way of describing Merton, but Tommy had never really been that paranoid himself. But now, he felt very uneasy, and he hoped that whatever was following them wasn't an enemy, or at least something they could deal with without much effort . . .   
The heat continued, this time getting worse. For some reason, Merton and Tommy were both feeling very tired. Otoniel and Lori didn't seem to notice their friends' sudden fatigues, so they all continued to drive. Merton looked out the window into the night. Slowly, his vision began to blur, and he felt a wave of exhaustion take over him. Before he knew it, his head fell onto the dashboard, and he went into unconsciousness.   
"Someone grab the wheel!" Otoniel yelled from the back. Tommy reached for it, but suddenly collapsed where he was. Otoniel climbed over the seats and grabbed the wheel. "Pull over, pull over!" Lori yelled in panic, looking out the window as they sped by at great speed. Otoniel looked frantically over at the road, trying to find spot to park at. Before he could see anything, he heard sirens, and looked back behind him. A police car was behind them, signaling them to pull over. Otoniel pulled the Hearse over, and sighed, setting his head down on the steering wheel.   
"Well, sir, can I see your license and registration?" a young police officer with brown hair and eyes asked Otoniel. He looked back into the car, eyeing Tommy and Merton, who were still unconscious, suspiciously.   
Otoniel gulped. One hundred fifty years ago, he never needed a license, and he had never bothered to get one, always having flying as an option of transport. "Er-- Sir, I have it someplace . . ." He put his hands in his trench coat, pretending to be looking for it. The officer looked into the Hearse more closely. "What's wrong with those two?" The police officer pointed to Merton and Tommy with a flashlight, who were laying in awkward positions in the seat next to Otoniel.   
"They got tired and they're sleeping," Lori put in quickly. The police officer still looked suspicious.   
"Well, wake them up then." "Er--" Lori looked at a loss of words. To make the officer satisfied, she shook Tommy and Merton by the shoulders, getting no response. "They're pretty deep sleepers," Otoniel lied, "Why did you pull us over?" "Do you realize that you were swerving violently on the road and going above the speed limit, sir?" Otoniel put on a fake shocked face. "I had no idea. It will never happen again, officer." The officer's eyes narrowed. "Will you step out of the car, sir?" Otoniel opened the door slowly and got out, standing about a head taller than the officer.   
"Sir, where's your license?" Otoniel's eyes shifted. "I left it at home," he lied quickly, and very unconvincingly. "Okay, sir, put your hands on the car." Otoniel stood his ground. "Listen, officer, just let us go, I'm not drunk or on anything and we won't speed anymore." The officer shook his head. "Sir, just place your hands on the hood of the car." Otoniel attempted to get back in the car, but the officer grabbed his hand. "You don't want to fight me!" Otoniel yelled. "Sir, you're under arrest for defiance of authority." Otoniel sighed in frustration and his eyes turned white. He flew into the air, causing the officer to jump back in shock. "Y-You're--" The officer didn't finish, and took out his gun, his hands trembling.   
"Okay, you want to fight me, go ahead," Otoniel said menacingly. The officer looked nervous, and his hands were still shaking. His hands gripped tighter on the gun, and he was about to shoot. Otoniel, not expecting this, was about to fly away when a shot rang into the air and he closed his eyes.   
There was a pause. The gun hadn't shot him. He opened his eyes and Lori was standing in front of the officer, holding the gun to his head. "Now, you leave me and my friends alone now, or this goes through your head!" The officer nodded nervously. "Good." Lori pointed to the officer's car, and the man quickly ran into it, driving away. Lori threw the gun down and went over to Otoniel.   
"You saved me," Otoniel said, "Why? I thought you didn't trust me." "You may not be trustworthy," the young kick boxer said, "But I need you to help with Tommy and Merton. Plus I'm not completely heartless." There was an awkward pause, then Lori put in, "Besides, you don't die unless you get staked, so the most that would happen would be you in pain." Then Lori walked over to the car and opened the door up, looking in on Tommy and Merton.   
"What's wrong with them?" she asked with concern. Otoniel looked inside and stared at Tommy and Merton. "They haven't fed in a long time," he stated. "So what do we do? We can't just leave them!" Lori seemed in a panic. "Calm down," Otoniel said, as if nothing had happened, "All we have to do is feed them. You'll turn if you're bitten so . . . " "Oh no you don't; you aren't feeding them!" Lori said, as if it was the biggest crime in the world. "There's no other choice, I'm the only vampire around here, and we can't turn anyone else."   
Lori bit her lip. Otoniel was sure she didn't care about his well being, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have her friends' lives in the hands of another vampire. Lori never gave any other answer, so Otoniel stooped into the Hearse, grabbing Merton's shoulders and shaking him. "Just five minutes, mommy, I want to ride the pony . . . " Merton mumbled, his eyes still closed. "Merton, wake up!" Otoniel said loudly, shaking Merton some more. Merton's eyes snapped open. "Ah!" The Goth took a deep breath and became calmer immediately. "What happened?" "You haven't been feeding. You and Tommy both passed out in the Hearse." Merton sat up weakly, looking over at Tommy. "I've got to feed Tommy then . . . " "No," Otoniel said, "Not with you like that. I'm going to feed you both." 

_Chapter Fourteen: Eternal Darkness_

The Hearse was once more quiet and gloomy. Otoniel had insisted he drive while Merton and Tommy recovered. Lori still sat quietly in the back, now back to her "hating Otoniel" stage. "Jeez, this heat's really starting to bug me . . . " Tommy attempted to start conversation, moving around in his seat to get comfortable. "Yeah," Lori said quietly, then folded her arms and went silent again. 

**Boring. I mean, I just had my life saved again and we were going to stake Haim, but this intermission was getting to be dullsville. Well, I didn't have long to wait until we came to Clerksville-- Now that intermission doesn't seem so bad . . .**

"Yes, we're here!" Merton sounded very pleased as they drove past a sign proclaiming proudly: **Visitors welcome to Clerksville!** They drove on until they came up to a small hotel, and stopped there. "Okay," Otoniel said, "Merton, Tommy, I think you should stay here. You're in no condition to fight Haim now, so Lori and I'll go and look for him, if it's even him at all." "But--" Tommy tried to protest, but Otoniel put his hand up, stopping him. "Don't start with me, I'm the master of arguing." Merton opened his mouth to protest as well, but Otoniel shook his head. "You two stay here. Lori will be fine with me, I promise." Merton and Tommy reluctantly agreed by nodding their heads and everyone stepped out of the car. 

"Otoniel, I'm not going out looking for Haim with you!" Lori yelled at the elder vampire as they exited the hotel, "We don't even know if it was Haim, and he said he'd give me more instructions when we got here. We have to wait." Otoniel sighed. "Then why are we out here?" "Because we have to get our stuff out of the Hearse and bring it inside . . . " Lori opened up the Hearse and began to take out random things. "We have to--" "Listen, Fernandez, don't even try arguing with me. I grew up stubborn, and I can be much more temper mental than you!" Otoniel flew back. Lori took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. "Besides," she reasoned, "It's getting light out, and if it is Haim, he's not going to be out in the open once it's day." Otoniel raised an eyebrow. "But--" "It's getting light, I said," the kick boxer said through clenched teeth. "Right, you're the boss . . . " 

"Back so soon?" "Shut up, Merton . . . " Lori said angrily, sitting on the bed in the hotel, "We can't fight Haim yet." "I see," Merton sounded amused. Otoniel soon came in, carrying the last of their things and setting them down. "Well, looks like we have quite a bit of time on our hands . . . " 

**Waiting. We had to wait again, and it was really getting to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm usually pretty patient, but when I know that some bloodsucking fiend is out there, I tend to get a little impatient. Of course, I couldn't really talk, because now I was a bloodsucking fiend myself . . . But luckily, we had plenty of ways to spend our time usefully . . .**

"King me," Merton said happily, moving a black piece onto the edge of the board. Tommy sighed and flipped the piece over, setting a duplicate of it on top of it. "Okay, let's see . . . " Tommy rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then smiled all knowingly. He moved a red piece a space over, jumping one of Merton's pieces. The Goth gave a wide grin, then moved a piece, jumping six pieces all at once. Tommy's mouth dropped open. "How-- You're cheating!" "Am not!"   
"Are too!"   
"Am not!"   
"Are too!"   
"Guys, shut up!" Tommy and Merton went silent and stared at Lori. "But--" Merton stopped short as the windows became more shaded and dark. Otoniel furrowed his brows, walking over to the window and peering through. "How is this possible? That can't be . . . " he muttered to himself. "What?" Merton's interest seemed to be sparked once more, and he flew over to the window. Otoniel opened the shades to reveal darkness outside. A dark shape was covering the sun, making it almost pitch black outside, except for a few street lamps and lights from windows in nearby buildings. "Come on, let's check it out!" Lori sounded ready for action, as always. The others nodded in agreement and flew out the door, Lori close behind. 

"Well, you don't see this every day . . . " Merton said, staring at the eclipsed sun. "Guys, this is bad!" Tommy said, also staring upwards. "Gee, Tommy, as if that wasn't obvious . . . " Tommy growled at Merton, which made him silent at once. "Merton, what's up with the sun?" he asked, giving a "don't know this and your comment means nothing" look. "Well, obviously it's eclipsed, but as to the reason why, I have no idea. If we can just figure out what's eclipsing the sun in the first place . . . " Merton squinted at the darkened sky.   
Lori glanced upwards too. The sky, unlike the ground and things around them, wasn't pitch black. It had streaks of red and purple all along it, with some blue intertwined in that. She furrowed her brows, pondering the reason to this sudden darkness. As she did that, she suddenly heard a voice: _Lady of the night, you have come. Go to the woods, and I will confront you there . . . _Lori looked at the others, who were apparently arguing over something.   
"Otoniel, no way, I doubt a gorgon would be able to cause a total eclipse of the sun!" Merton argued with Otoniel. "It's just a theory," the older vampire argued back, "It could have been a plant creature . . . " "No, plant creatures take energy from the sun, they don't eclipse it . . . " Otoniel and Merton continued to argue. Lori opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it. _I don't need them_,she thought, _I can take on Haim by myself. _She turned towards the woods and began to walk away.   
Tommy watched as Merton and Otoniel argued. He sighed. This was pointless. He turned around to say something to Lori, and saw her walking into the woods nearby. He furrowed his brows. 

**I didn't know what Lori was up to, but she sure wasn't leaving without us . . .**

"Guys?" Tommy attempted to say something to his fellow vampires. "No, Dingle, it couldn't have been a demon, demons don't have enough power to bring total darkness . . . " "Come on, they could if they tried!" Tommy sighed. 

**I guess I was on my own.**

Tommy was about to say something else to Merton and Otoniel, but shook his head and turned away. Quietly, he flew after Lori into the woods, leaving the two vampires to their quarrel. 

**What I didn't know was that I'd once again be at a life or death situation . . . Anyone else getting tired of this story line?**

**Creepy, creepy, creepy . . . How come when it's dark the woods seem so much more dangerous? This place was seriously creeping me out . . .** Tommy glided nervously through the woods, following the sound of Lori's footsteps. An owl hooted and he flew around quickly, glancing about nervously. 

**Okay, just an owl, just an owl . . . Keep your cool, Tommy, no need to panic now . . .**

Lori stopped and Tommy hid behind a tree, watching her. Suddenly, a woman with red hair clothed in black flew out. She smiled, showing fangs. "You're a vampire too!" Lori yelled angrily, getting into a fighting stance. 

**Okay, panic seems like a good option right now . . .**

The vampire smiled. "Yes and no. I am a vampire, but I'm a witch as well." "Well, whatever you are, you're getting dusted in a minute!" To Tommy's surprise, the vampire witch laughed, sounding as if she was used to the normal staking threat. "Hardly. I came here because I need a vampire's life force to live on." Lori looked confused. "Then why are you here with me?" The vampire witch smiled. "Because there aren't many vampires around, so I must bite someone then take their life force. I've been following you and your friends and making some kills along the way. One of your friends was staked, I had to reverse it, but didn't have enough time to take his life force. But now I can have a four course meal, starting with you!"   
The vampire witch lunged at Lori, knocking her down by surprise. "Any last words?" "Oh, that is such the typical villain line!" Lori kicked the vampire witch, to no effect. The vampire witch smiled, grabbing Lori's head and moving it to the side so her neck was in clear view. She swooped down, and was about to sink her fangs into Lori's neck when there came a shout. "No!" Tommy jumped out of the trees and grabbed the vampire witch, pulling her off of Lori and putting her in a headlock.   
"Tommy!" Lori shouted. "Lori, get out of here before she gets to you!" The young kick boxer shook her head. "Tommy, I'm not leaving you here with her!" "Someone has to stay and I can't be turned into a vampire twice, so I'm safer than you are!" Lori began to protest, but Tommy growled, his eyes glowing yellow. "Lori, go now and find the others!" Lori reluctantly turned and ran into the woods, heading back towards the hotel. 

Lori ran as fast as she could. The sleeve of her shirt caught on a branch and ripped, the branch scraping her arm. She swore to herself and she continued to run, rubbing her arm where it was scratched. A gust of wind suddenly came, almost knocking her off her feet. A bat flew into view, and soon changed into Haim himself, standing before her, smiling. "My queen, I see you got my message." "I'm not your queen, creep!" Lori got into a fighting stance once more. "Oh, but you looked for me, didn't you? Big mistake if you don't want to be my queen . . . " Haim bared his fangs and his face turned from it's youthful look to it's mutilated vampiric form.   
He lunged at Lori, and Lori kicked him in the gut, sending him back about a foot. He was about to charge at her again, but there came a sudden shriek. Haim looked frightened for the first time. "It's her, the vampire witch!" He turned angrily to look at Lori. "I will get you soon, my queen! Pleasantville will be waiting for you and I'll be there!" Haim then turned into a bat and flew away before Lori could say another word. Lori quickly ran towards the hotel, hopefully where she would find Merton and Otoniel. 

"No, it's not aliens, cause they'd use more technology to cause the eclipse--" "Merton, Otoniel!" Merton and Otoniel swerved around, seeing Lori running towards them from the woods. "Lori, what happened?" the younger vampire asked with concern. "Guys, all the murders in town, it wasn't Otoniel, it was a witch, who was a vampire, and she would bite people and take their life force to live. And, Merton, she reversed you from being staked so that she could take your life force, but she didn't have enough time before Otoniel showed up." Lori took a deep breath.   
"I guess I was wrong about you . . . " she said quietly to Otoniel. Otoniel nodded. "Where's the witch now?" he asked. "I don't know, I left and then I met up with Haim--" "You met up with Corey? What happened?" Merton seemed thoroughly panicked now. "He ran away when he heard the vampire witch thing and he said he'd be in Pleasantville." "Whoa," Otoniel interrupted, "You left the witch in the woods?" "Yeah, Tommy held her o-- Oh no, Tommy! He's still out there fighting that thing!" "Come on!" Merton shouted, flying into the air, "Let's find him before he becomes Purina Dog Chow!" Lori nodded and they all ran into the woods. 

"Tommy?" Lori called out, getting the same silence as before, "Where is he?" "Look!" Merton pointed a few feet away, where the vampire witch was fighting Tommy. Tommy threw a punch, but he missed. The vampire smiled, and her eyes turned white. She waved her hands and began to suck at the air. A white light began to come from Tommy's chest, going straight into the witch's mouth. "Tommy!" Lori yelled. Otoniel flew forward, kicking the witch and causing her to fly back, her eyes turning back to normal. "You!" The witch lunged at Otoniel, but he took out a stake. "Don't think I won't use this, you cannibal freak!" The witch backed off and flew into the air. "I'll be back!" She disappeared into the air, leaving an awkward silence.   
"Tommy!" Lori yelled again, looking at Tommy, who had fallen to the ground, shaking, "This is my fault; he did this to protect me . . . " "No, it's not your fault . . . " Otoniel put a hand on her shoulder. Merton flew to his friend's side, kneeling beside him. Tommy's eyes were wide, and he was curled up on the ground, shaking. "I think we stopped the witch before his life force was taken all the way. He's had it partially taken." Merton tried to stand up, but Tommy grabbed onto his foot, still trembling. "Don't-- Don't go . . . " Tommy struggled out, grabbing Merton's foot tighter, as if he let go he would fall into a bottomless pit.   
Otoniel and Lori walked over, looking at Tommy. "Otoniel, so something, you can always fix these things . . . " "Lori, this isn't as easy. I can't just feed him and call it good. My blood won't give him his life force, it's a part of his soul." Tommy seemed to have heard this, and looked terrified. "I-- I'm-- not-- g-going-- t-to . . . make it . . . " Tommy choked out, still staring into space with wide eyes. "No, Tommy," Lori said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Hang in there, we'll find a way to get you back to normal. Now let go of Merton and we'll take you back to Pleasantville and find a cure." Tommy shook his head frantically. "It's-- It's dark, I can't let go, I-- I'll lose-- a-all of you, and--and I won't be able to-- to find you . . . I'm going to b-be lost . . . "   
"No, Tommy," Lori said gently, "You won't be lost. I'll never lose you." She placed her hand on Tommy's, gently prying it from Merton's foot. Tommy's hand grasped hers tightly. "We have to go back to Pleasantville with him, you have more books there for research," Lori said. "What about the vampire witch?" Merton questioned. "She'll have to wait awhile," Otoniel said, "First we have to cure Tommy."   
Merton nodded in agreement. "We'll be able to get rid of Haim if he's there," he said, "Put Tommy in the Hearse, we'll go to the lair." Otoniel grabbed Tommy and hoisted him up. Tommy still grasped Lori's hand tightly; Lori walked along with Otoniel, not protesting against it. Soon, they had put Tommy in the back and were headed back home, ready to tackle whatever evils that were waiting there head on. 

They drove through a small town, Lori in the back, still holding Tommy's hand. Lori was extremely worried about Tommy. He had saved her, but the price to pay was to end up like this. What if they didn't find a cure? He would spend the rest of his life blind and shaking, with only half a conscience. She wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. Maybe-- Maybe it was more than guilt she was feeling-- Maybe it was . . . love. Had she not gotten over Tommy yet? If she hadn't, she'd discovered it too late, because if they didn't cure Tommy, then she would never get to reveal her true feelings . . . She'd be lost in pain and guilt . . .   
Merton glanced over from the wheel at his friend. It was painful to see his friend like this, when Tommy normally was ready for action, smiling at him and curious to know how to beat the latest villain. Memories flashed before him now-- Once again, he saw Tommy dying. But Tommy's death wasn't the most shocking part of the memory. No, it was Tommy's last words that hung around with him the most: _See you around, buddy. _He didn't sound angry at him, he sounded happy, as if he knew they'd see each other again. He had called him buddy, despite him just murdering him. He didn't know why, but he was still feeling guilty about his friend's death, even after all this, and the encounter with the vampire witch made him realize that more than ever. 

_Chapter Fifteen: I Feel The Earth Move_

They all were pushed out of their thoughts when there was a giant lurch. Merton stopped by a building, and the ground began to shake, sending them forward in their seats. "Merton, what's that?" Lori asked, looking up from Tommy for the first time. "I don't know, but-- Gah!" Merton caught himself as he was thrown towards the dashboard when the earth quaked again. "You guys, stay here, there's an earthquake. I'm going to go outside and check it out," Otoniel said before climbing out.   
Merton watched as Otoniel flew outside, turning a corner on the block and going out of sight. He turned to look at Lori, as if expecting her to object to Otoniel's sudden departure, but to his surprise, she was still holding Tommy's hand, looking at his face with such hurt eyes, he wouldn't have thought Lori was in her right mind if he'd have seen it normally.   
"Lori, you okay?" Lori stared at Tommy sadly, and slowly lifted her gaze at Merton. "Merton, you know those times where you realize something, but you knew you should have known it so long ago?" Merton nodded his head. "Yeah, why?" "Well . . . " Lori paused and looked at Tommy, then looked back up at Merton. "I-- I love--" Before Lori could finish, there was a huge quake. This time, it did not stop abruptly, but shook the whole Hearse a long time. Outside, a pole fell down, going through the window of the Hearse. Lori ducked, putting herself on top of Tommy, as the pole went over her head and out the other window. "Aw, man!" Merton whined from the front seat, staring at the pole going through his car, "And I'd just had those windows fixed too!" He turned to face Lori, who was still laying on Tommy's chest, stuck underneath the pole and breathing hard.   
"Lori, are you okay?" Merton asked with concern. "Yeah," Lori said quietly, "I'm just stuck under this pole." "Here, let me see if I can--" Merton was cut off when another quake began. His eyes went wide. "Oh crud." The dumpster next to the building beside them began to shake, tipping over and landing on the Hearse, garbage covering the roof. The dumpster landed on the side of the Hearse, blocking Merton's door and trapping them inside. "Merton! Merton, are you okay?" Lori asked, turning to look at the young vampire. "I'm fine, the door's just blocked." Lori sighed angrily. "Great, so now we're stuck in the Hearse until someone finds us."   
They waited for a few minutes. Lori could barely move under the pole, but she still held Tommy's hand this whole time, as if she was afraid if she let go he would be lost forever. Tommy's eyes were still wide open, and he was still shaking, but he kept his grip on Lori's hand. Lori couldn't take the silence anymore. "Tommy?" she asked quietly. Tommy nodded his head in response. Merton looked over at them, curious to know what was going on. "Tommy, can you hear me right now?" Tommy nodded again, gripping Lori's hand tighter.   
"I want you to know that it's okay. There's an earthquake, and we're trapped inside here, but Otoniel's going to come back and help us." Tommy struggled to speak. "A-are we . . . going . . . t-to die?" Lori shook her head, gripping Tommy's free hand with her own. "No, we're going to make it; don't worry," she said, smiling reassuringly, despite Tommy not being able to see it, "I just wanted to make sure you were still with us . . . " Tommy shook his head fervently, gripping Lori's hand tightly, so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "L-Lori . . . I-I'm . . . going to . . . d-d-die . . . D-don't . . . s-say that . . . I'll live . . . " "No, Tommy, no! We're going to help you and you'll make it! You've survived death more than once before, and you'll make it again." Tommy shook his head again, his grip becoming painfully tight. "I-I'm already . . . dead . . . " Lori shook her head, a pained look on her face.   
"Tommy, please, you're not dead, just-- You had some horrible things happen, that's all." "Yeah," Merton piped in from the front, "It'll all be okay, don't worry." Lori smiled at Tommy. "See, Tommy? Merton says it's going to be okay. You remember Merton, right?" Tommy nodded his head, his grip becoming looser. "Merton's usually right," said Lori, "Don't worry. We'll find a cure and all of this will be like a dream when you get back to normal." At this, the young werevamp became more relaxed, and his grip loosened even more, but he still kept his hold on Lori's hand. "Good. Now let's just talk and pass the time . . . "   
Merton watched Lori talk to Tommy. It was very different for him to see, that was for sure. Lori was normally never like this. She was talking to Tommy as if he was normal, and they were just sharing memories. " . . . And remember that one time we snuck out, just to watch the stars?" Lori said to Tommy, smiling, "We got in so much trouble for that, but it was worth it . . . " Merton wondered if he should use this incident against Lori in the future, but thought against it. He sighed, smiling despite the situation he was in. He was happy Lori was getting out of her depressed mood, and he'd have quite a story to tell Tommy when he got back to normal . . . 

Otoniel watched the chaos as the aftershocks of the earthquake continued, sending various things tumbling and breaking. Many people were running around screaming, not knowing what to do. A few minutes passed and the aftershocks lessened until finally there was none at all. "I have to get back to--" Otoniel was cut off from his thought when he heard a loud scream pierce the air. He looked for the source and assumed it was coming from the building beside him, which looked like an apartment building. Most people had already ran from it in fright, but it seemed there was someone else inside. He flew to the doors, which were barely hanging on their hinges, and burst in, quickly landing and scanning the building, listening for more sounds. He heard more screaming. It sounded like a woman.   
He flew up a couple flights of stairs, coming to a green door. On the front were brass numbers: **666.** He threw the door open, scanning inside. A pregnant woman with blue eyes and curly blonde hair was sitting in her bed, sweating and screaming. "What's wrong?" Otoniel asked, running to her side. "The baby . . . it's coming . . . phone line's dead . . . can't get to hospital . . . " That's all the woman managed to get out before screaming again. Otoniel's eyes went wide. The hospitals would be sure to help her if he could get her to one, but it seemed that the child was going to come too soon. He looked about and realized what had to be done.   
He turned to face the woman and said, "The baby has to be delivered here, he's coming too fast." The woman screamed again. "No . . . need . . . to get to hospital . . . " The woman screamed even louder, gripping a pillow almost to the point of ripping it in half. "Please just cooperate, I want to help." Otoniel sat on the edge of the bed, rolling up his sleeves. In all his years, he had never gotten experience in delivering a child, but he had to try. The woman gave a loud scream that echoed through the building as she slowly began to give birth . . . 

Lori sighed. The heat was getting to be too much for both of the teens in the car, though they weren't sure if Tommy was bothered by it, being in his current situation. Being cramped in the car with little movement available to them also made it frustrating. "So," Merton began, trying to start up conversation, "Lori, do you think anyone else is stuck by the earthquake?" Lori nodded and looked up. "Of course I do," she replied, "I mean, in almost all natural disasters, more then just three people are injured or trapped." The young vampire looked thoughtful and turned to look out the front window, which was smashed and covered in garbage. "I don't think this was natural." "What do you mean?" Lori asked, furrowing her brows. "Never mind."   
There was a long silence as both teens leaned back, boredom and heat getting to their heads. Merton closed his eyes and was about to drift off when he heard a noise. "Merton! Merton, wake up, I think Tommy's trying to say something!" Merton's eyes snapped open and he turned around in his seat, looking at his friends stuck under the pole. Tommy was indeed trying to say something. "S-someone . . . is . . . c-coming . . . I c-can . . . smell th-them . . . " Lori looked Tommy straight in the eyes, leaning closer. "Who?" she asked gently, "Who's coming?" "It's . . . i-it's . . . "   
Before Tommy could finish, there were some crunching sounds from outside. Merton's head whipped to his door where the noise was coming from. He would have liked to see who or what was out there, but the dumpster was still laying against his door, covering the window. The dumpster began to move, letting lamp lights from outside shine through. Merton squinted his eyes, getting used to the light. There was a large truck outside with lights blaring. Many men were inside, dressed in yellow, most likely firemen.   
A large burly man with a brown mustache came to the door, extending his hand toward Merton. "You all right, son?" he asked. Merton backed up, then hesitantly took the man's hand. "I'm fine," he answered quietly. The man pulled Merton out of the Hearse, letting him step on the pavement. He looked inside and saw Tommy and Lori, then looked back at his colleagues. "Guys, we've got some more stuck in here under this pole, one seems injured." Three or four firefighters rushed to the door, carefully pulling at the pole until it was gently pulled out of the Hearse, leaving two broken windows and two very squashed teens.   
A female firefighter with black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin leaned in, talking to Lori. "Miss, are you all right? Do you need any assistance?" Lori shook her head and held on tightly to Tommy's hand. "Miss, you need to let go, we'll take you and your friend to a hospital and help you out." The woman bent inside and pried Lori's hand from Tommy's, picking up Tommy by the torso. An ambulance pulled up, many men coming out with stretchers. They set Tommy upon one, transporting him to the back and setting him inside. Lori stepped outside beside Merton. "No, you can't take Tommy. We're fine, really," Lori pleaded to the burly fireman.   
The fireman shook his head. "Don't worry, kid, you'll all be taken to a hospital where we can check you out and make sure you're fine." "No, you don't understand--" "Please, miss," the female firefighter said, "Your friend is hurt and we're just trying to help." Merton spoke up. "Get him out of there, we have it under control." The burly fireman shook his head again. "Sir, if you'll just go into the ambulance, you'll make it easier and we'll be able to--"   
"No!" Merton burst out angrily, flying into the air and baring his fangs, "Let Tommy go, and leave us alone!" "Merton!" Merton looked down at Lori, his face turning softer. "Sorry, evil must be kicking in--" Merton stopped abruptly, his eyes getting wide, "--again . . . " He trailed off, slumping to the ground unconscious. The female firefighter was standing behind him with a crowbar, breathing heavily. Lori backed up by the Hearse, looking around at the firefighters. She looked to her right, where Merton was slumped to the ground, and looked to her left, where Tommy was laying in the back of an ambulance, his eyes wide and his body shaking. There was nowhere left to go. She was trapped . . . 

Merton winced as he woke up, a sharp pain in the back of his head. He squinted, getting used to the bright light, realizing he was in a bright white room. The vampire looked about him, seeing a long window on the side of the room, where many people were on the other side, writing on notepads and occasionally glancing inside at him. There was one door which was metal and seemed to be sealed shut. He sat up, seeing he was in a white bed, dressed in a white hospital gown. His other clothes were missing, and he could see them nowhere in the room. All that was in there was the bed, a dresser, a small white table, and two white chairs. The floor was linoleum and it was so clean he was sure he would be able to see his face in it if he had a reflection. There were two things in particular that were not there: Tommy and Lori.   
He got out of the bed, walking over to the door and pulling. It was locked, as he suspected it would be. He peered through the window; the people inside were writing furiously on notepads. A man with gray hair and a gray mustache got up and walked over to the door. Merton looked over as the knob slowly began to turn.   
The man entered, smiling and extending his hand. "Hello, I'm Doctor Jones of the Bakersville Hospital and Research Institute." Merton hesitantly extended his hand, shaking Doctor Jones'. "Why am I here?" "Well, it seems that you have an interesting story . . . According to these tests, you're dead." Merton pretended to look shocked. "Wow, amazing . . . Now can I go?" Doctor Jones shook his head. "Mr. Dingle, are you aware that you have traits similar to those of the mythological creatures, vampires? Your canine teeth are twice the size than normal and you're technically dead. Now, we'd like to ask you some questions and take some tests--" "Whoa whoa whoa!" Merton backed away from the doctor, running over to the other side of the bed. "You're not doing any tests on me! You have the wrong vampire!" Merton put a finger out to emphasize his point.   
"Please, Mr. Dingle," Jones said calmly, "It's only a few tests. You're a phenomenon." "No!" Merton flew into the air, baring his fangs. "Let me go and tell me where my friends are!" "Mr. Dingle--" At this, Merton lost his nerve and flew at Doctor Jones, making the doctor look shocked. A few doctors ran in, grabbing Merton by the shoulders. He threw one against the wall, making the poor man pass out. Another man was too quick, however, and took out a needle, putting it in Merton's arm. The Goth tried to go towards Doctor Jones, but darkness swept over him and he sank to the floor.   
Jones looked at his colleagues, who were panting, some helping their fellow doctor who had been thrown into the wall. One man with short brown hair and a small nose turned to Doctor Jones. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I'm fine; he just panicked." The door opened and a woman with red hair and brown eyes stepped inside. "Doctor Jones, we need you in room 13." Jones nodded his head, taking a look back and quickly stepping out the door. 

Doctor Jones stepped into room 13, looking at a notepad a nurse had just given him. "He won't stop shaking?" "Yes, we can't figure out what's wrong with him. He isn't responsive, and all he'll say is Lori and Merton." Jones look at Tommy, who was laying in a white bed with wide eyes, trembling.   
He sat next to Tommy on the bed, speaking calmly to him. "Now . . . " He looked at the notepad next to him. "Tommy, right? Tommy, are you aware that you are a vampire?" Tommy turned his head, not looking at Jones completely. "L-Lori . . . M-Merton . . . " "Okay, your friends are here. If you answer my questions, I'll let you see them." Tommy paused, seeming to be calmer. "O-okay . . ."   
"First of all, what happened to you to make you like this; shaking and blind?" Tommy shook his head. "D-don't know . . . can't r-remember . . . much . . . "   
"Okay, good," Jones began to scribble some things on his notepad, "And how did you become a "vampire"?" Tommy's eyes went wide and he gripped the side of the bed, his breath coming in short gasps. "L-Lori . . . g-get Lori . . . Where i-is she? Lori . . . Lori . . . " "Tommy, it's okay, we'll find your friends in a little bit--" "LORI!" The doctor jumped back in shock. Tommy continued to shake, muttering Lori's name over and over while gripping the sides of the bed tightly. The doctor stood up, turning to face the nurse. "I think I'll have to talk to Lori." He handed the notepad to the nurse and walked out. 

"No, I won't calm down! Let me out of here and tell me where Merton and Tommy are!" A young nurse with wavy blonde hair desperately tried to calm Lori down, who was standing on top of a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown. "Miss, please calm down, we'll take you to your friends as soon as--" "No! Where's Tommy and Merton?!" The nurse sighed, stepping forward. The door opened and Doctor Jones walked in. He whispered something to the nurse, who gave a relieved sigh and left. "Ms. Baxter, I presume?" Lori glared at him, backing up. "Where's Tommy and Merton?" "I'll tell you, but you need to answer a few questions for us concerning their condition." Lori clenched her jaw, glaring at the doctor. "I'm not telling you anything! You all kidnapped us!"   
"We didn't kidnap you, we're just trying to help you--" "Let us out, you freaky government doctor!" Doctor Jones sighed and was about to say something else when the door flew open, a brunette nurse walking in. "Doctor," she said, "In room 15, the patient woke up and got out!" "What?!" Jones got up. Lori, taking advantage of the moment, jumped off the bed, pushing Doctor Jones into the nurse and sending them both toppling over. She then stepped over them, running out of the room.   
Lori ran as fast as she could, her bare feet making pattering sounds against the linoleum floor. A few nurses and doctors looked shocked as she ran by, calling for others to come and catch her. She ran into a room, which was presumably someone's office, and watched through the window as the people after her passed by, oblivious to her presence there. She saw an outfit: A white coat, and black pants. She slipped them on, stepping outside and smoothing her hair, trying to look professional. Anyone passing by saw her, assuming her to be a doctor.   
She went quickly through the halls, running into Merton, who was dressed as a doctor also, carrying another outfit. "Merton!" "Lori!" "Merton, what are you doing here?" Lori asked, looking at her friend. "I had to kill a couple guys trying to catch me, so I took their outfits. Come on, if we find Tommy, we can put him in the outfit and sneak him out in these disguises." Lori nodded. "I think he's in room 13," Merton continued, "They said something was going on in there." "Right." They headed towards room 13. 

They slowly crept inside, seeing the room dark. Tommy was gripping the edge of the bed, his eyes wide. "Lori? . . . M-Merton?" Lori smiled. "Sh, we're going to get you out of here . . . " They quickly changed him into the doctors outfit (The assumed he may have been slightly uncomfortable in the hospital gown outside, if you get the drift), and picked him up. When they went into the hall, they glanced around, quickly putting Tommy on a stretcher. They covered him with a blanket, making it seem as if he was recently deceased, and started to wheel him outside.   
Merton smiled nervously at an african american woman who was sitting at the front desk and watching them wheel Tommy towards the door suspiciously. "Heh heh, we need to take him to another hospital for . . . er, research . . . " Merton explained hastily. They smiled and waved then went out the door. 

"So," Lori gasped as they wheeled down a street, "Why exactly are we back here?" Merton turned a corner, coming to where the Hearse was, still laying there, same damage as before. "I like this car." Lori rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said, grabbing Tommy's legs. They both hoisted Tommy into the back of the Hearse, hastily getting into the front seats. Merton put the keys, which were still in the seat, in the ignition and the Hearse miraculously hummed into life. The Goth vampire turned around to face Lori and smiled. "Now hold onto your seat, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" He pulled the Hearse out into the street and slammed his foot on the gas, going full speed through the streets to find Otoniel. 

Otoniel watched as the woman held her new baby boy, smiling happily. "I think I'll name him . . . Matt." The woman touched the tip of her finger on the boy's nose, making him giggle. "Speaking of names," Otoniel said, "I didn't quite catch yours." "Maria," the woman said, "And thank you so much. I didn't catch your name either." "Otoniel Fernandez," Otoniel replied, extending a hand and shaking hers, "Do you want me to take you to a hospital? Because I'm afraid I need to leave and I don't want to leave you stranded here." Maria shook her head. "I've got plenty of supplies here until someone can rescue me; you go ahead and do what you have to." Otoniel smiled and stood up. "Are you sure?" Maria nodded.   
Otoniel began to walk out, smelling the fresh blood on his hands as he went. He wasn't sure why, but he had an eerie feeling that something strange was in the room he just left. Was he protecting Maria? He didn't know, but he had a feeling that he should not of left her. Despite his instincts, he continued to walk down the hall until he reached the stairs and was out of sight, flying into the air and out of the building.   
As he made it outside, he took a breath of fresh air. He landed on the ground, just to be safe in case anyone would pass by. It was a good thing he had landed, because there were soon some footsteps and Doctor Jones and an unnamed female doctor came into view. "Excuse me," Doctor Jones said to Otoniel, "I'm Doctor Jones for the Bakersville Hospital and Research Center, and this is my colleague, Doctor Jackson. Recently, two of our patients escaped, taking another of our patients along with them." Otoniel nodded, motioning for the doctors to go on.   
"Well," Doctor Jackson continued with what Jones was saying, "Their names were Merton Dingle, Lori Baxter, and Tommy Dawkins. One had black hair, blue eyes, about 5'6, the other had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was slightly shorter, and the last one was very tall, with brown hair and eyes. Seen them?" Otoniel's eyes went wide when his friends' names were mentioned. "No, haven't seen them, sorry." Both the doctors nodded, thanking him and walking away. "Well," he said to himself, "Looks like Merton and Lori have quite a story . . . " He flew into the air, turning into a bat and quickly tracking down Lori and Merton. 

Lori and Merton continued to drive through town, scanning the streets for any sign of Otoniel. "Listen, Lori," Merton said, glancing over at his friend, "I-- I just want you to know that-- Well, what I'm trying to say is-- I'm glad you're okay, and nothing happened back at the hospital. Because with Tommy in his situation, and he doesn't make it-- I don't want to lose you too." Lori looked over at Merton and smiled. "Merton, you made it through death, you'd be able to make it without me." The Goth looked at Lori with a shocked expression. "Are you kidding me? I'd be devastated!" Lori shook her head. "Well, I'm glad that you're okay too."   
Merton smiled. He was about to say more when there was a thud on the roof. "What the--?" Otoniel suddenly appeared in the window from the roof, motioning for Merton to stop. Merton, shocked at seeing him appear in the window, slammed on the breaks, sending Otoniel flying forward off the roof. Otoniel got up as if nothing had ever happened and opened the door. "Okay, guys, spill it." Merton and Lori glanced at each other. Merton grabbed his sunglasses from the seat and put them on, obviously trying at a "macho look". "Hop in, we're going to Pleasantville . . . " 

_Chapter Sixteen: Home Again_

After a long drive and an extremely long explanation, Merton, Lori, Otoniel, and Tommy were pulling into Merton's driveway, back in Pleasantville once more. No one seemed to be home, so they quickly pulled Tommy out of the back and took him inside to Merton's lair, setting him on the bed. Lori looked at Merton. "Merton, what now?" Merton paused, smiling. "Research."   
The three of them frantically searched through books, randomly reading a line, then flipping to another page. Lori grabbed an old brown book, blowing off the dust and opening it up. Merton looked thoughtful as he looked through a small black book. They seemed to go in fast motion as they went through one book after another, flipping through pages, then tossing them to the side. A couple hours later, the shelves were empty and books littered the floor.   
Merton sat at his desk, rubbing his chin and staring at the young werewolf in his bed. "Guys, I hate to say it, but . . . " He paused, looking at Lori and Otoniel. "I don't think . . . We have no way of . . . " He sighed, looking up at them sadly. "Guys, we can't find a cure and . . . Tommy's not going to make it." Lori stood up from a chair angrily, clenching her fists. "Don't you dare say that! He's going to make it!" Merton sighed again, standing up and walking over to Lori. He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away, walking over to Tommy and holding his hand. "Come on, Tommy," Lori said desperately to her friend, who sat motionless with wide eyes, "You can make it; you can snap out of it! You always make it; you've always found a way to pull through. This is going to be just like old times, before any of this happened. You're going to sit up and say hey and we'll talk about how our day was and it'll be okay . . . You won't die; you can't . . . " She paused, sniffling and wiping her eyes.   
Merton's mouth was open as he watched, floating into the air without realizing it. He looked at Otoniel. "Am I hallucinating, or is . . . Lori crying?" Otoniel, however, was not paying attention. He looked over at a shelf, and saw a small, dusty, brown book, which had been forgotten. He picked it up, opening it with care. As he flipped through a few pages, he randomly read some lines, his mouth opening slightly. He stopped at a page, putting her finger on it and reading through some lines. The vampire looked up and smiled at the two sad teenagers. "Guys . . . " Merton and Lori turned to face him, curious to know what he wanted. They glanced at each other, wondering as to why Otoniel had a wide grin pasted on his face. He held up the book, still open on the page, and pointed to it. "I think we found our cure . . . " 

Merton smiled, dropping the last spell ingredient into a cauldron. He looked up at Otoniel, who was holding the book. "Okay, now what?" Otoniel looked down at the book. "We say the spell." He cleared his throat. "Spirits of the undead, we call upon you, return the spirit to the master true, let every piece of soil, mountain or tree, help save this soul, so mote it be!" A gust of wind filled the room, blowing their hair back. Lightning began to flash outside. A giant whirlwind came up above Tommy, making Lori, who was still holding his hand, let go and jump up, backing away. The whirlwind surrounded Tommy, putting him out of view. The others watched in shock as the wind knocked books from shelves and papers went flying.   
The whirlwind finally began to disappear, and Tommy was laying on the bed once more, unconscious. Lori walked over slowly, putting her hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Tommy?" she asked quietly. There was no response. "It didn't work. Why didn't it work?" Otoniel looked back at the book. "It says that if someone was parted with part of their life force for too long, they can never get it back." Lori shook her head, looking at Tommy pleadingly, as if she thought if she asked Tommy, he would wake up. "Tommy, no; don't leave us. You said you would always stay with us . . . You promised!" Lori got on her knees, still holding Tommy's hand, and rested her head on his chest, wiping a tear away. Merton and Otoniel stood there, not sure of what to do, never having seen Lori like this before.   
Lori took her head off Tommy's chest and looked at his face. He seemed so dead, yet a few hours ago he had seemed so alive. He had been ready for action so long ago, and now he was gone, a mere shell of the real Tommy Dawkins. Lori wiped a tear away once more and bent her head, her lips gently pressing onto Tommy's. She pulled her lips away and rested her head on his chest once more, gripping his hand tightly. "Aw, don't worry, I love you too." Lori gasped and sat up with wide eyes, staring at Tommy's smiling face. She smiled back. "Tommy, you're alive!" She threw her arms out and hugged Tommy, who returned the embrace. Lori suddenly let go, pulling away. "You aren't going to tell anyone that I got all sappy just now, are you?" Tommy laughed. "I guess since you guys just saved my life, I'll keep it a secret. But can you do me one favor?" Lori nodded. "Anything." "Good." The werewolf grabbed Lori's shoulders and pulled her towards him, kissing her. She returned it, and they continued for awhile.   
Merton cleared his throat, and they pulled apart. "We interrupt this soap opera to give you a special news bulletin." The young vampire threw out his arms, smiling. "Welcome back, buddy!" Merton flew over to Tommy, hugging him. "Okay, okay, Merton, I get the picture; you're going to choke me to death if you don't stop hugging me!" Merton let go, but put a finger up. "Wrong, we're the undead. It's one of the good points, you don't need to breathe." Tommy laughed and sat up. "Guys, thanks for saving me . . . again." Lori wrapped an arm around Tommy's shoulder, pulling him closer. "Don't mention it. We'll probably need you to return the favor soon anyway."   
Tommy smiled at Lori. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but the ground suddenly began to shake, causing books to fall and glass to break. Tommy got up from the bed, his eyes wide. "What was tha--" The ground shook again, sending him forward into Merton. "It's the earthquakes again," Merton said, trying to steady himself by grabbing onto a chair. Otoniel flew into the air. "I don't get it, Pleasantville doesn't have earthquakes, does it?" Lori shook her head, also grabbing onto a chair, like Merton. "Not unless you count when the apocalypse was going to occur--" Lori fell forward, landing face first on the floor, but quickly sitting up. "What?" Otoniel asked, his mouth dropping open. "Long story," Tommy explained, grabbing onto Merton's shoulder as the ground shook again.   
"It was Haim," Tommy said to himself quietly, letting go of Merton and taking a step forward. "What?" Merton questioned, obviously having heard him. "Yeah, he could have been doing some spells, like the witch chick." "Tommy, that was the," Merton paused, doing his famous hand quotes, ""witch chick", this is Corey Haim you're talking about. He wouldn't know the first thing about spells!" The werewolf in front of Merton sighed, walking toward the door. "Even if it isn't Corey, we still need to find him and stake him. You, Otoniel, and Lori do some research and I'll find Haim and stake him." "No way!" Lori stood up from the ground. "You're not going without me!" "Lori--" "Don't Lori me, Tommy! I'm not losing you again! Come on!" Lori ran out the door. "But--" Tommy sighed in frustration and flew out the door after Lori.   
Merton sighed, staring at the open door. "Gee, guys, what was that? Oh, we'd love to stay alone here while you make out in the woods." Otoniel put a hand on Merton's shoulder, also staring at the door. "Merton, we'd better work quick. I think I know what's going on, but if they're out there . . . " Merton raised an eyebrow, looking at Otoniel. "What do you think it is?" The elder vampire paused and looked thoughtful, peering at the open door. He turned and faced Merton, his hand still on his shoulder. "How much do you know about this apocalypse you mentioned . . . ?" 

**It was great to be back. But we didn't have much time for celebration. We had to stake Corey and quick, before he did any more damage. But when we got to the woods, we got a lot more than we bargained for . . .** Tommy glided beside Lori, glancing about at the dark woods. "Man, could it be any more hot? I thought the sun was eclipsed . . . " He waved his hand in front of his face to emphasize his point. Lori looked at him, glaring suspiciously. "Tommy, if you're trying to get my shirt off, right now isn't the best time to be flirting." "No, dude, I'm serious. This heat is really getting to me . . . " "Oh, sorry . . . " There was a silence for a few seconds between the two, the only sound around them being their feet crunching on the ground. Finally, Lori glanced over at Tommy, grinning. They stopped and looked at each other. Lori bit her lip, still grinning, and eyed Tommy. Tommy returned the grin. "Should we--?" Tommy began. Before he could finish, Lori wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. They continued this for a long time, closing their eyes and hugging each other tightly.   
They let go for air, smiling. "Tommy, I'm so glad you're back," Lori said, smiling. "Me too," Tommy replied. Skipping more conversation, they pulled into another kiss. They were getting a little deeper into it when Tommy suddenly pulled away from Lori. He looked around suspiciously, smelling the air slightly. "What is it, Tommy?" Lori asked, furrowing her brows. "Something's here . . . I can smell it. Something nearby." The werevamp glided into the air again, flying deeper into the woods. Lori quickly ran to keep up with him.   
They went past dark trees and brush and saw a bright red light ahead of them. "There," Tommy said from the front, pointing ahead of them at the light. They came into a clearing and a giant red portal was in the air, seeming as if it opened into a pit of fire. "Whoa." Tommy's mouth fell open and he landed on the ground. "Tommy, this is a portal!" Lori exclaimed, "And if I'm right . . . It looks like it's opening from the underworld!" The two glanced at each other, then turned to look at the portal. "Merton needs to know about this," Tommy noted, gliding into the air again. "Okay," Lori said, "I'll stay here and see what I can find, you go get Merton and Otoniel and tell them to get their butts over here to figure this out." It seemed as if Tommy would protest at this point, but he just nodded and turned, flying out of the woods and towards the lair. 

Merton frantically moved about the lair, grabbing random books and looking through them. He picked up a red book and glanced through it, his face brightening up, then he shook his head, throwing it over his shoulder. "It happened awhile ago," he said to Otoniel as he walked, picking up a few other books and leafing through them, "around when we first met Lori. There was a wrestling match and," he paused and looked up, creating quotes with his fingers, ""Doctor Apocalypse" was about to win a triumphant six hundred sixty-sixth match, which would fulfill the number of the beast. Unfortunately, the matches were being run by a demon from the underworld, bent on starting the apocalypse. Then we got wolfy on them and beat them before they could win the match. Much like what's happening here, we were forewarned with earthquakes. But the sun never eclipsed and there wasn't any unnatural heat, so this means if there's an attempt to start the apocalypse again, it's gotten farther than Doctor Apocalypse had gone."   
Otoniel nodded his head. "So now we have to find the demon before he destroys the world?" Merton nodded, clasping his hands together. "Exactly." "Hate to be the one to ask dumb questions, but how do we do that?" The young vampire paused, then held a finger up, as if he had an idea. "We-- Have no idea." He put his finger down. "But this book may say something." He held up a blood red book with golden letters on the front, spelling something in another language. He opened it up, revealing golden pages. After flipping a few pages, he stopped, putting his finger on some words. "It says here that the apocalypse can be started in many ways, causing the "end of the world". Many times, it can only be started by a demon or by a human who has sold their soul to the devil. If a demon, they may open a portal, letting other demons free by a spell and starting the apocalypse. It is much the same way with a human." He paused and looked up. "So all we have to do is find whoever it is, human or demon, and throw them into the portal. This should cause a chain reaction, closing the portal and foiling their plans to destroy the world." Otoniel paused, mouth open. "You have a lot of free time, don't you?" "It's a hobby." They shook their heads, then turned to each other, eyes wide. "Tommy and Lori!" 

**I knew I had to get to the lair and fast. Whatever the reason, that portal shouldn't have been in Pleasantville. I had a feeling it had a connection with the earthquakes, heat, and eclipse. Man, I wish I had my wolf speed right about now . . .** Tommy flew quickly toward the lair. He was a few blocks away when he heard some rustling in the trees. 

**I knew that rustling. Every time a monster would pop out in some horror flick, there would be some rustling or some twigs would crack.**

Some twigs cracked behind him and Tommy spun around, smelling the air. Suddenly, a woman ran out of the trees, carrying a baby and crying. Tommy quickly landed and apparently the woman didn't notice him flying in the first place. "M'am, are you okay?" Tommy asked her, relieved that it wasn't a demon or monster. The woman looked up, tears in her eyes. "My name's Maria, and something's wrong with my baby, Matt . . . " Maria sniffled, brushing some hair off of her baby boy's head. "He's just been sick and now he's just . . . I just . . . I don't know what's wrong with him . . . " Tommy stood there awkwardly. He didn't have much experience in this area. "Er-- Here, let me see," he volunteered, reaching a hand toward the infant. Maria smiled appreciatively. "I thought you'd never ask," she said, handing Matt gently toward Tommy.   
Immediately, Tommy stumbled back, still holding Matt. Matt's skin suddenly changed to bright red, and he grew black horns. He lunged forward, biting into Tommy's neck and tearing. Tommy yelled out and Matt floated into the air away from him. Maria flew into the air, her eyes also glowing red. Her skin turned scarlet and she grew large black horns on her head. Bright red and black wings erupted from her back. Her once golden, curly hair turned orange and red, looking as if it were fire. Matt floated into her arms and she stood there, grinning and showing sharp fangs.   
"What the--?" Tommy held onto his neck, stopping the blood flow. Maria smiled. "Farewell, Lycanthrope." Tommy growled. "Hey, do you have any idea how much that hurts?" He let go of his neck and the wound disappeared. The demons seemed shocked at first, but their expressions quickly changed to a complete calm. "Oh," Maria said, "I see the Pleasantville werewolf has gotten some improvements since I last heard of it. I thought it would be easy to kill the protector of this town, but it seems you've become more than just a Lycanthrope. Do not worry, I always enjoy a challenge." Tommy growled and his eyes flashed bright yellow, then a dark shade of red. He flew at Maria and she flew to the side. Matt flew from her arms and held out his small hands, a beam of red light shooting at Tommy. Tommy's eyes went wide and he dodged the beam of light, landing on the ground. He was about to make a run for it to tell Merton and Otoniel what happened, but before him suddenly appeared the last person he wanted to see: The vampire witch. 

"We have to go save them!" Merton yelled, throwing the book to the side. The book landed on the couch, hitting the remote control and flipping the television on. Merton made a move to turn off the television, but saw Sally Dawkins came on and he looked at the screen. "And on later news today, three teenagers have gone missing. Merton Dingle," A picture of Merton with a goofy smile and hair sticking out on all sides flashed on the screen, "Was the first to disappear, about three weeks ago. A few days later, Tommy Dawkins disappeared without a trace," A picture of Tommy in a letterman's jacket flashed on screen, "Yet again, a few days after that, Lori Baxter ran away from home, and there have been no traces of her. Police suspected before of foul play with rivaling gangs, but family members say otherwise."   
Bob Dawkins appeared on screen. "Tommy wouldn't be in a gang. I don't know about his friends, but he just wasn't that kind of kid." The screen changed back to Sally. "Now police are suspecting that Lori Baxter, after running away, may have persuaded Merton Dingle and Tommy Dawkins of going, though whether any of the disappearances are connected, no one is sure. If you have seen any of these teens--" Merton grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. off. He turned to look at Otoniel and was about to say something when a noise came from upstairs.   
"Mom, I heard something downstairs." It was Becky. The door began to open and Merton grabbed Otoniel's hand, pulling them both behind the desk. He looked over the top of the desk, and watched as Becky came downstairs. "Hello?" Becky smiled. "Merton, are you here?" There was a silence and Otoniel stared at Merton, but Merton never took his gaze off of Becky, and he stayed where he was. Becky's smile faded and she looked sad, then she shook her head, walking back up the stairs.   
"That's funny," Merton mused, standing up, "I think that was a brother sister bond bubbling up." "Why didn't you go out?" asked Otoniel, "She's obviously worried about you." Merton shook his head, putting an arm around Otoniel's shoulder. "Tony-- can I call you Tony? Never mind. Tony, I'm technically a missing person right now, not only missing but dead as well, and if I show up, Becky and my family aren't going to keep it a secret that I returned. I'm a vampire. If I get publicity, it's not going to be long till someone figures out what I am, and it may lead to them discovering what you are and what Tommy is." He sighed, letting his hand fall from Otoniel's shoulder and he stared at the floor. "It's better if I stay in hiding and they think I'm dead."   
Otoniel put a hand on Merton's shoulder. "Are you sure?" "Yeah," Merton sighed, looking back up, "Let's find the others before they're killed by demons or vampires." Otoniel nodded, and they flew into the air, heading out the door. 

Merton sighed as he flew behind Otoniel, searching for his friends. He wanted to see Becky and his family and tell them he was all right, he truly did, but he knew the danger of it. The same thing was probably going through Tommy's mind. He could never see his family again. Both of them only had each other, Otoniel, and Lori. Lori was different though. She could always return home. She wasn't a vampire, nothing of the undead that had to hide from the living. Merton wondered about Otoniel. Would he stay there with them? He doubted that very much. But he wondered if he felt the same way when he was bitten.   
Otoniel glanced behind him at Merton, making sure he was still following close behind. He knew how Merton felt. He had to leave everything he knew because of this curse. Otoniel knew he had to help Merton as much as he could, and Tommy too. When he had been bitten, he had had to leave, shunned by his family and friends. He had no friends, no family, no home. Home. Family. Friends. Those words stuck in his head, pinned there with guilt, shame, anger, and sadness. He would never have those things again. Who would accept him? Who would take him in? But what about Lori, Tommy, and Merton? Had they not accepted him, brought him in? Maybe, just maybe, they were his family, his close friends, his guide to home and shelter. Maybe they had been the ones he had been searching for for one hundred and fifty years.   
The two vampires came to a halt, seeing a shocking sight. Tommy was fighting two demons and the vampire witch. "Her again?" they said together, putting on looks that said clearly "give me a break". "Maria!" Otoniel shouted out. Maria turned to face him, smiling and showing bright fangs. "You know her?!" Merton questioned in shock. "Yeah, I helped deliver her baby. But--" Otoniel turned to face Maria, "Maria, what the heck are you?" Maria smiled. "I'm a demon, and once I destroy all of the protectors of the world, I will start the apocalypse and destroy your puny world." Otoniel's eyes widened in shock. 

****************************************************************************   
_ Otoniel reached a room at the top of the stairs which had the numbers 666 engraved upon it. He opened the door and stepped inside to where the screaming was heard._

_ "Yes," Maria said, starting conversation with Otoniel and holding her child, "I'm a champion swimmer. I've won six hundred sixty-six matches. Some say I broke a record, but I just like to swim. Now that I have a child, it may be awhile yet."_

_ "What's wrong with your eyes?" Otoniel asked Maria, deciding against asking to leave quite yet and peering closely at Maria's red eyes. "Oh," Maria said, rubbing her eyes, "They get terribly bloodshot. It's just allergies and things like that." She looked up and her eyes were their normal blue again._

_****************************************************************************_

"Six six six, the number of the beast," Otoniel said to himself, remembering the numbers on the door and the number of matches Maria had won, "And your eyes . . . How could I have not seen this? All the signs were right there . . . " Maria laughed. "Yes, you were too dimwitted. You even helped me bring my warrior of fortune into this world." Merton's mouth was hanging open. "Whoa. And I thought _I _had a dysfunctional family . . . " "Silence, mortal fool!" Maria yelled, shooting a beam of red light at Merton. Merton's eyes went wide. The light hit something, causing smoke to go everywhere.   
Maria smiled triumphantly, assuming the light had hit Merton. When the smoke cleared, Merton was gone. "What the--?" Maria was cut off when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and Merton was floating in the air behind her. "Who said I was a mortal?" He punched Maria in the face, sending her flying back. Matt flew out of her arms, landing on Merton's face. "Ah!" Merton yelled out, "He clawing at my face, he's clawing at my face!" He tried desperately to detach the infant from his face.   
"Give it up, Otoniel, you're soft! You can't stop me from conquering Earth!" Maria hissed at the vampire. Otoniel flew into the air, facing the demon. "That may be so, but I'll be damned if I don't die trying!" He flew at Maria and they began a fierce battle. He threw a punch, she blocked it, she shot a beam of light, he dodged it. Each one seemed to know what the other was going to do a split second before they did it.   
Tommy glided in the air, throwing a punch at the vampire witch. "I never quite finished you off," she said, "How about you taste my wrath and live your immortal life without a soul?" She punched Tommy in the face, sending him flying back and landing hard on the cement. 

**This was getting to be more than I could take. I could remember everything she did. This was going to be harder than I thought.**

Merton ripped Matt from his face, throwing him across the woods. Maria turned in shock, flying and catching the child. She faced Merton angrily. "I'm going to kill you, you insolent fool! I will return!" She turned around and flew into the woods. Merton flew over to Otoniel.   
"Well, glad that's done with for now." "Uh, guys?" Merton and Otoniel turned around to see Tommy laying on the ground, the vampire witch hovering over him and preparing to suck his life force away. "A little help here!" "Right!" Merton flew at the vampire witch, baring his fangs. "Take this!" He   
yelled a battle cry and flew at her, attempting to punch her, but she flew to the side and he hit a tree face first, sliding down. "Or not . . . " he said, muffled because of the tree. The vampire witch laughed. "Hey, it's time for you to be dust!" "Huh?" The vampire witch turned around, only to be staked by Otoniel. Her eyes went wide and she stared at the stake. "No! Your souls will be mine! I will return from the underworld!" She disappeared into dust.   
Merton, who had removed himself from the tree, walked over in between Tommy and Otoniel and put his arms around each of their shoulders. "Well, another one bites the dust." Some drums played and some symbols were hit from out of nowhere to emphasize Merton's joke. He laughed, but saw the others weren't laughing. "Get it, bites the dust, the vampire was turned to dust?" There was a pause as crickets chirped. "Never mind. But there's just one thing I'm curious to know . . . " "Yeah?" Tommy asked, looking at Merton. "What was it like? I mean, having half a soul?" Tommy paused and looked at the sky, seeming as if he was trying to find the best way to describe it.   
"It was kind of like . . . Being deaf, but still hearing everything . . . Like speaking, but being mute . . . Being able to walk, but being paralyzed. You know what I mean?" Merton furrowed his brows and bit his top lip. "A little nebulous, but I get what you mean." Tommy shook his head, tugging Merton closer to him. "Never mind. Let's just get Lor--" He let go of Merton, turning to face him. "Lori!" they yelled together. Otoniel, Merton, and Tommy looked at the woods, where Maria and Matt had just entered and Lori was inside. "Come on!" Otoniel grabbed Merton's hand and flew into the air, dragging him to the woods. Tommy quickly flew into the air and followed them. 

Lori sighed, crossing her arms and staring at the fiery portal before her. "Tommy's taking way too long . . . " The woods seemed silent, but the silence was broken by some twigs cracking behind her. 

Tommy flew behind Merton and Otoniel, looking every which way for Lori. 

**I had to find Lori as soon as possible. Ever since the whole life force situation, I realized that I still wasn't over Lori, and she wasn't over me. I know I repeat this over and over, but I love Lori. But if I didn't find her, that would end pretty quick . . . Once again, my wolf powers can't save the day . . .**

"Tommy, it's about time you got here! What did Merton say?" Lori whipped around. No one was in sight. "Tommy?" She paused, eyeing the dark trees. "Merton?" She took a step forward, unfolding her arms and scanning the woods. There was some more cracking behind her. She spun around in panic and got into a fighting position.   
"Ah!" Lori and Merton screamed this together upon seeing each other. "Jeez, Lori! Are you okay?" "Yeah." There was a pause, then Lori smacked Merton over the head. "Don't you ever scare me like that again! You scared the heck out of me!" "Sorry, just trying to-- Whoa!" Merton flew back, seeing the portal. "This is a portal to the underworld!" "Yeah, didn't Tommy tell you?" Merton paused, observing the gateway between the underworld and Pleasantville. "No, he didn't . . . We were a little busy taking care of demons and vampire witches." "What?" "Long story."   
There was some rustling and Tommy flew out of the trees, breathing heavily. "Lori!" He flew at Lori and hugged her. "Missed you too, wolf boy." Tommy smiled at Lori, showing his fangs. Lori gave him a kiss, but cut it short and pulled away when Otoniel flew out of the trees. He eyed the portal closely. "What do we do about this thing?" he asked, turning to face Merton. "Well, there should be an incantation to close it, but we need to return the demons that came from it back inside." "Then let's find those demons and kick their butts!" Tommy exclaimed, punching the air and flying up a few feet. "Love your suggestion, Tommy, but it won't be that easy. Remember, that demon's got a bit of a bone to pick with me, no pun intended," Merton explained. Tommy seemed confused. "Meaning . . . ?" "That demon will want revenge, and she'll know we're coming after her and her child."   
"So what do we do then?" asked a curious Lori. "I don't know yet, but there may be something at the lair. We can slip in unnoticed and look the subject up." "Sounds good to me," agreed Tommy, landing on the ground. "What do you think, Tony, sound good?" Merton asked the elder vampire. "I think it's our only plan now, so let's go for it." The others nodded and they turned on their heels, exiting the woods. The clearing they had just left stayed silent for a moment, the only light being the glow of the portal. Suddenly, a red hand with claws reached out of the portal. "Well," an unknown voice hissed, "Time's not on your hands, Otoniel Fernandez . . . " The voice chuckled softly. Suddenly, the hand disappeared and a shadow emerged from the portal, seeming as if it melted onto the ground and then slithering away through the trees. 

_Chapter Seventeen: Demonicus_

"Here's the incantation," stated Merton at the lair, pointing at a page in a book, "It should close the portal. Now all that's left is to find a way to lure Maria and Matt back into it." He shut the book, sending dust into the air, and turned in his chair to face Otoniel, Tommy, and Lori. "So what's the problem then?" Lori asked, "We just grab them, throw them in the portal, then close it." Merton turned to face her. "We could do that," he said, "But then Maria or Matt would burn you to a crisp. We have to lure them in there somehow, without them knowing what we're doing." "How would we do that?" Tommy questioned.   
"I may have a plan . . . It's crazy, but worth a try," Merton said. Tommy quirked an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?" Merton rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Up for some heavy running, guys?" 

"Guys, this is stupid!" Merton whined into a walkie talkie, standing in the park. "Come on, Merton," Lori said into another walkie talkie from behind a bush, "It was your idea in the first place. Just start flying when you see them and then we'll be waiting to finish it off." The Goth sighed. "My original plan was to use you guys as bait, not myself!" Otoniel grabbed the walkie talkie from Lori. "Merton, she's got the grudge against you," he said, "She's not gonna chase after someone just because they're there. They need motivation." Once again, Merton sighed. "Fine, but if I get staked, and by some slim chance some other creature saves me with the intent on killing me afterwards anyway, I'm going to so kick your butts."   
He put the walkie talkie into a trench coat pocket and looked around at the darkness. He wished he knew what time it was, but with the sun at an eclipse, he couldn't tell if it was day or night. Suddenly, there came a crunching sound. _Crunch . . . crunch . . . crunch . . . _Merton jumped, looking around. It sounded like footsteps. _Crunch . . . crunch . . . _He gulped, looking around him. The footsteps were coming nearer. Merton took a few steps back. The crunching slowed down and two figures stepped out from the trees. Merton yelled out in fright, then realized it wasn't Matt or Maria. TNT stood there, angry looks on their faces. "Look, Trav, it's Dingle!" Tim exclaimed, "Let's get 'em!" Travis grabbed Merton by the neck and pushed him against a tree. "Heh heh," Merton laughed nervously, "So, Travis, Tim, what brings the infamous duo here?"   
Travis pushed harder. "We were just at the Hungry Bucket," Tim explained, "Why are you here? Where ya' been?" Merton smiled nervously. "Er-- well, funny story actually--" "Can it, Dingle," Tim said, "We could turn ya' in for a reward since you've been missing." "No! You can't do that!" Merton yelled out, his eyes wide. "Why not?" sneered Tim, "You afraid?"   
"No, but he should be." TNT turned around, letting Merton go and causing him to fall to the ground. Maria was standing there in full demon form, carrying her child. Merton got up and his mouth fell open in shock. TNTs' eyes went wide. The twin bullies turned tail and ran. "Come on, Trav, let's get out of here!" Tim exclaimed as they ran out of sight. "Heh heh . . . " Merton took a deep breath then flew into the air, going as fast as he could toward the portal. 

Merton breathed heavily as he ran through the woods. He looked around him and saw Maria close behind. Yelling out, he began to run faster. He stopped, furrowing his brows. "Wait, what am I doing? I can fly!" He flew into the air, but Maria was still very quick, and stayed close behind.   
As Merton was flying, he tried to catch his breath from his previous "jog". He pulled out the walkie talkie. "Tommy . . . Lori . . . Tony . . . This may be a good . . . time to . . . get your butts over to the portal!" he yelled, panting. "Right, we're on our way," a voice said through static on the other end. He supposed it was Lori. "Hang on," another voice said, "We're going as fast as we--" The static continued, but the voice was cut off. Merton shook his walkie talkie. "Hello? Tony? Lori? Anyone?" There was no response.   
Merton sighed, shaking the walkie talkie again and glancing behind him where Maria was steadily catching up. "Guys, answer me!" he yelled into the walkie talkie, shaking it furiously once more, "Come on, this isn't funny!" There was a pause and a voice answered on the other side. "Merton?" It was Tommy, "Merton, you there?" "Yes!" Merton yelled happily, sighing in relief, "What were you doing? That wasn't funny!" "Listen, Merton, bad news," Tommy said from the other side, "Some more demons escaped from the portal." "What? How many?" There was a pause on the other side. "I'm not sure, I'm guessing about six are right here," Tommy paused again, "But I think more of them got out too. We're still in the park, and they're fighting us. We can't get to the portal, you have to lose Maria somehow." "Lose her? How the heck do I do that?!" Merton yelled, beginning to panic. There was no answer on the other line. "Tommy? Tommy, you still there?" The static on the other line stopped and nothing else was heard. 

"Tommy, demon at three o'clock!" Otoniel said, dodging a punch from a sea green demon. "Huh?" Tommy said just before getting punched by a deep emerald demon. His eyes began to glow red and he punched the demon. "Why didn't you tell me, Otoniel?" Otoniel sighed. "I said at three o'clock!" "Oh," Tommy said, kicking the demon, "Left would have worked better . . . " Otoniel sighed again, punching a sapphire demon. "Well," Lori said, an ivory demon charging at her, "What do we do? There's six of them and we can't possibly lure them all to the portal!" She jumped to the side and the demon ran into a tree.   
An ebony demon and a scarlet demon flew next to the ivory demon and the three of them surrounded Otoniel. The vampire flew into the air, getting into a fighting stance. The ivory demon, which was in the center, flew forward, smiling. Just as the three were about to attack, they covered their ears and screeched. Otoniel looked confused and looked at Tommy and Lori, who were still fighting the other three creatures. The ebony and ivory demons flew away and charged at Tommy. The scarlet demon glared at Otoniel with golden eyes and screeched before flying away and charging at Lori.   
Not waiting to give it some thought, Otoniel flew into the riot. He punched the sapphire demon in the jaw. However, the creature just glared at him, flew away, and punched Lori. Turning away, Otoniel punched the ebony demon, causing it to fly back. The creature only flew back up again, turning to fight someone else. "What's going on?" Otoniel asked in confusion. "What do you mean?" Tommy asked, taking a punch from the sea green demon. "None of the demons are attacking me at all," Otoniel stated. He was standing right in the middle of the fight, demons surrounding him and either punching each other, Lori, or Tommy. "They know I'm here, and I'm attacking them, but . . . " Otoniel didn't finish, but looked around at the fighting around him.   
There was some rustling in the trees beside them. "Thank goodness," Lori said, "That must be Merton." She punched the sea green demon and it flew back. However, instead of Merton coming from the trees, two figures in black came out. One of them was a male with dark brown hair and wearing large sunglasses, the other was a female with dark brown hair in a ponytail wearing a smaller pair of shades. They flew into the air, coming straight into the fight. The demons attacked them, only to get thrown back. The female grabbed Lori by the hand. "Who are you?" Lori asked. The figures didn't answer. The male figure grabbed her by the shoulders. "Hey, what are you oing? Let go of me!" The figures didn't listen. The female figure let go of Lori's hand and turned around, beginning to walk away with her friend close behind, carrying Lori.   
"Hey!" Tommy yelled, flying forward and grabbing the female's hand. The woman just stared at him for a moment before turning to fly away again. Otoniel made a move to fly forward, but he hit something in front of him, though nothing was in sight. He put his hands on something invisible blocking his way. "Don't walk away, I'm talking to you!" Tommy said angrily, grabbing the woman again. The woman merely continued to walk away. This angered Tommy and he punched the woman, sending her sunglasses flying.   
She turned to face him, her eyes glowing bright red. "Fine, young bat-wolf, you want a fight, you shall have it," she said calmly. She hissed, showing glistening fangs. "You're a vampire too!"   
Tommy exclaimed. "You're quick on the uptake, aren't you?" the vampress said before kicking Tommy. Before Tommy could attack again, the six demons surrounded him and began to attack. The vampress motioned for the man with her to follow and began to fly away, carrying a struggling Lori. "Tommy! Tommy, do something!" Lori yelled before they went into the woods.   
"Lori!" Otoniel yelled, pushing at the unknown force. He suddenly jerked forward and fell down. Getting up, he flew over to Tommy, who was fighting the demons. "Tommy, there's definitely something more at work than demons and vampires," Otoniel said. "Yeah, those dudes were creepy and they kidnapped Lori!" Tommy exclaimed, kicking the sapphire demon. "But, Tommy," Otoniel said, "Not just that. I think something is protecting me, but I have a feeling they have more in store than that. Something stopped these demons from attacking me and sent them on you, and something stopped me from reaching those other vampires to rescue Lori. I think something is after you two, and is trying to keep me out of the way."   
Tommy furrowed his brows as the scarlet demon charged at him. Otoniel grabbed the creature by the arm and stopped it, punching it square in the nose and sending it back. "But, Tony," Tommy said, punching the ebony demon that tried to attack from behind, "If this thing wanted you out of the way to not protect us, why don't they just kill you too? Unless they're getting us out of the way, and trying to get you."   
Before Otoniel could answer, the two figures returned. Tommy growled, his eyes glowing golden and then shifting to blood red. "You again! Where's Lori?" The woman smiled, her fangs once more showing. Her eyes were still glowing bright red. The male, however, still had his sunglasses on. "Wolf-bat, I see you have been angered," the woman said to Tommy, then turned to look at Otoniel, "Your friend here seems to have seen and heard too much." She snapped her fingers and the man stepped forward, hissing and showing his fangs. He tried to go towards Otoniel, but something held him back. Instead, the vampire flew forward and grabbed a demon, throwing it into a tree. The other demons quickly flew away, leaving Tommy facing the other vampire.   
"What do you want? Where did you take Lori?" Tommy asked furiously. The male vampire didn't reply. However, the vampress did. "She was ordered to be taken by the count. We were also asked to gather a Merton Dingle and Tommy Dawkins, by last minute request." Tommy growled. "If I could wolf out right now, you would be so . . . " "Dead?" the woman laughed, "Looks like you're a little too late. And why wait to transform? You've forgotten what today is." Otoniel flew forward, hitting the invisible force again and flying back. Tommy furrowed his brows. "What do you mean, the day it is?" The vampress smiled. "Young wolf-bat, tonight is the full moon. To add to that, I believe the moon comes out in less than a minute."   
Tommy's eyes went wide and he stared into the starry sky. "Wait a minute," Tommy said, smiling, "There's an eclipse! It's not gonna work!" The woman laughed. "Fool, the sun is the only thing eclipsed. The moon is free from eclipse, for it helps the darkness and us creatures of the night." Tommy's smile immediately faded. "Have a nice time," the vampress said, smiling. Tommy growled and was about to attack her when he felt a searing pain shoot through his body. His fangs grew longer and his ears pointed, fur beginning to grow on him. Everything was painful, and he winced, holding his stomach. He suddenly lifted his head and howled at the moon, exactly as he had done the last time he had transformed. For some reason, he could not be a vampire and a werewolf at the same time; it was just too energy consuming. He looked at the two figures in front of him, seeing their smirks. He felt himself getting weaker and weaker. 

**I had to stay awake. These guys would take me, and then I'd be trapped and not be able to save Lori. I wouldn't even be able to warn Merton before they captured him too. Just a few more minutes, I could find Merton and warn him so that at least he knew . . .**

Merton looked behind him, Maria close behind. "Stop flying, you fool!" Maria screeched, "You are no match for a demon, vampire, so give it up!" She flew forward and in front of Merton, causing him to stop in his tracks. Matt grinned at him from his mother's arms, his eyes glowing blood red. "Listen, guys," Merton tried, "this was just a plan gone awry. So leave now or get the butt whooping of your lifetimes." Maria laughed. "You? A pathetic little nerd who cannot find a decent date?"   
"I'm not a nerd! I'm a Goth! There's a distinct difference! And for your information, I'm a vampire as well!" Merton took a deep breath. "Prepare to meet your doom, demon," he hissed, his fangs glistening in the night. He smiled. "Man, I love it when my evil side kicks in!" His smile disappeared and he looked ready to fight once more, as if he had said nothing. Before he could throw a punch, there was suddenly a painful howling. Merton looked up and saw the full moon. "Aw, man! Tommy!" He attempted to fly away, but received a hit in the jaw.   
"Okay, that's it!" Merton put an arm out and flew toward Maria, attempting to hit her. She grinned and moved to the side, causing him to hit a tree. "Ow!" Merton shook his hand, whimpering. "Okay, no more mister nice nosferatu," he said calmly, turning around, "Time to die, little one!" He hissed and charged at Maria, grabbing Matt and throwing him to the side. "Matthew!" Maria swooped down and caught him, turning around angrily. "Fool! You call _me _the little one? You are but eighteen years old, when I am four hundred!"   
The young vampire licked his fangs and checked his watch, crossing his arms and floating a little above the ground. Maria glared at him. "You dare to mock me?" she asked menacingly. Merton grinned. "Maybe." "Argh!" Maria charged at Merton full speed. The Goth floated in midair for a couple of seconds and flew to the side, revealing the portal. Maria didn't have a chance to swerve out of the way before going straight into the portal with Matt in her arms. "Spirits now, she's been on this earth too long, send this demon back to where she belongs!" Merton said the incantation and the portal closed. "Heh," he continued, dusting himself off, "Works like a charm." He grinned, then heard the howling again. "Oh, right. I'm coming, Tommy!" He flew into the trees towards his friend's calls. 

"He might as well be dead," the vampress said, kicking Tommy's limp body. Otoniel watched helplessly from the other side of the park, the invisible force still holding him back. "The count had orders," the male vampire put in, "Dead or not, we have to take him in. Besides, he is dead, he is one of us; remember?" The vampress glared at him. "I knew that, fool," she turned to look into the woods, "Now where is the other young vampire?" "Looking for me?" The two figures whipped around in the air, seeing Merton floating in the air behind them with his arms crossed. "Now," he said, flying forward a few inches, "Mind telling me what you're doing with my friends here?"   
The vampress grinned. "Merton Dingle," she took a moment to chuckle, "Split personalities, eh? The count said that you were pathetic as a human. I see his evil has worked wonders on you, that's for sure." "Hey!" Merton argued, unfolding his arms, "I was not-- am not pathetic! And I'm not evil!" "Funny, I bet your victims didn't think that." "Argh!" Merton flew forward in anger. "Merton, look out!" Otoniel yelled. It was too late.   
The vampress flew to the side and hit Merton over the head as he flew by, sending him to the ground in unconsciousness. "What do we do with this one, Claire?" the man asked, pointing to Otoniel. "He is another vampire. Leave him be, we were not asked to retrieve him," Claire replied, "Only Lori Baxter, Merton Dingle, and Tommy Dawkins. Now come, we have work to do." The vampress flew away from the park and the male vampire grabbed Tommy and Merton, following her.   
"Tommy! Merton!" Otoniel yelled. He flew forward and the invisible force was gone. Claire and her accomplice were long gone, and he landed on the ground. "I guess it's bat tracking time," he said. Flying higher into the air, he morphed into a bat, flying through town tracking down the others. Behind him in the park, a shadow slithered out of the trees. The shadow suddenly rose up from the ground and seemed to take the shape of some crude creature with wings. "Not so fast, Fernandez," the shadow hissed, "I stopped Maria's little pets from hurting you, I can stop you from getting killed by some foolish count vampire. The pleasure of killing you will be mine and only mine." The creature took a deep breath and chuckled. "Demonicus is on her way . . . " The shadow melted into the ground once more and slithered away. 

_Chapter Eighteen: Haim Makes His Move_

"Let me go, you creeps!" Lori yelled, banging on a creaky wooden door. The two people who had taken her at the park had brought her to an old fashioned type castle, and she had been thrown in an empty stone room. It wasn't very big, and it was damp, with no windows.   
She sighed and sat down, leaning against the locked door. "What have I gotten myself into?" she said to herself. Tommy and Merton would come hopefully. But what about Tommy anyway? Would she be able to be with him again? Even if they did see each other, Tommy was now a vampire. Maybe she really should have been bitten. He didn't deserve this, she did. If Corey had made her his queen and bitten her, he would have never bitten Merton and Tommy wouldn't have been bitten; then none of her friends would have suffered.   
Maybe she had to be bitten now. If she, Merton, and Tommy were all vampires, then the others wouldn't be spending so much time worrying about her safety. But she knew no matter what, she had to see her friends again, vampire or no. What she had to figure out first was where she was, who wanted her, and why she was wanted. 

"Aw, man, that's gonna cause a migrane . . . " Merton mumbled, rolling over. His eyes suddenly snapped open and he sat up. He was in a small stone room with no windows. It was rather dark except for a single torch set by the door. "Where am I?" he asked to no one, standing up.   
There were some noises outside and the door opened. Merton jumped and got into a fighting stance. Corey Haim stepped into the room in full vampiric form, then locked the door behind him. "Welcome to my domain, Merton," Corey greeted as if Merton were an old friend. "Why did you take me? Where's Tommy and Lori?" "Patience, you'll see them again," Haim said calmly, "But I'd like to speak to you first. It seems I made the right choice biting you, I didn't have to waste a hunt and bite Dawkins, you did it for me." Merton clenched his fists in anger, floating into the air without realizing it.   
"Is that all you brought me here for? To taunt me?" Merton asked in fury. "No," Corey replied with a malicious grin, "I thought you might like to see Lori when she's made my vampire queen. Perhaps I'll let you say some last words before she stakes you and Tommy." Merton's eyes glowed bright red and he charged at Haim. Haim merely laughed and opened the door, letting in two other vampires, who in turn grabbed Merton by the arms. Merton struggled to free himself, glaring at Corey.   
"Now that isn't very nice," they heard a voice say. Haim whipped around and came face to face with Otoniel. Otoniel grinned and hit Corey in the jaw, sending him flying back. "Tony, you're here!" Merton said, smiling happily. Otoniel hit the vampires holding Merton and threw them to the side. "Anytime," he said, smiling back. The other three vampires in the room attempted to charge at Otoniel, but hit something invisible. "This whole invisible force thing comes in handy," Otoniel said to Merton, "Now let's get the others." Merton nodded and the two of them left the room, the other three vampires trying desperately to get to them. "Get them!" Corey yelled angrily. 

"Let's try this room," Merton said, opening a door. A bunch of bats flew out, squeaking loudly. "Okay, that would be a no." He shut the door and turned around. "How about this room?" Otoniel asked, pointing to an old looking wooden door. "Worth a try," Merton replied, shrugging. Otoniel nodded, walking over to the door. He tried opening it, but it was locked. "Locked? Ooh, whatever's in here has got to be interesting." He kicked the door and it broke off of it's hinges, landing to the ground. "Otoniel!" Lori yelled, getting up from the floor.   
"Lori?" Merton asked, coming over to the two. "You guys found me!" Lori said, "Where are we?" "Corey Haim's castle," Merton replied, "Looks like Haim's made his move." "What do we do now?" the kick boxer asked. "You guys look for Tommy; I've got a settle to score with a certain vampire." Merton's face looked determined. "Okay," Lori said, "But . . . Don't get yourself staked." The Goth grinned and flew in the direction of his former "prison", where he had last seen Corey Haim. 

**I never got what evil villains saw in being immortal. They always talked about power, wealth, and happiness. If this was being immortal, I'd rather take the weak and poor life.** Tommy clutched his stomach, curling up. He had no idea where he was, nor did he care. The pain was too much. "Poor wolf; let me see if I can help." Tommy opened his eyes, seeing a beautiful woman in front of him. She had wavy black hair to her shoulders, deep brown eyes, and full, dark skin. She was clothed in a long, skin tight, black dress to her knees. "Wh-who are you?" Tommy managed to get out. He began to look around him. The room he was in had stone walls and floor, blood red curtains on two windows, a bed with red silk sheets and a canopy, and other random pieces of furniture. He was in the bed, the sheets disheveled because of his tossing and turning.   
"Don't worry about who I am," the woman replied, getting on the bed and crawling towards Tommy seductively, "I want to . . . help you." She put her hands on his chest, putting her face closer to his. "You're weak," she continued, "Maybe I can help that . . . " She reached behind her back as she was talking, pulling a stake off of a dresser beside the bed. "Maybe . . . " she didn't finish, but got even closer to Tommy, so close that her face was an inch from his. Tommy smiled weakly. "I know what you're trying to do," he said, "But I'm not getting staked tonight." He grabbed behind her and took the stake, ramming it into her chest. "No!" She hissed, baring her fangs, then turned into dust. Tommy, now covered in ash, threw the stake to the side, turning over and crawling out of the bed. He hit the floor, landing on his side. Slowly, he got to his hands and knees, crawling towards the door. 

Lori and Otoniel stopped in a random hall, opening the doors and peering inside. Lori sighed. "Where is Tommy?" she asked no one in particular, "He has to be somehwere in this dingy castle." "Hm . . . " Otoniel suddenly yelled out, grabbing behind him and pulling a knife out of his shoulder. He whipped around, seeing a brunette girl holding another knife. He tried stabbing her with the knife to the heart, thinking her to be another vampire, but she disappeared into thin air.   
"What the heck?" Lori asked, walking over to Otoniel, "What was she?" "I have a feeling," Otoniel replied, looking around them, "That something else is in this castle." Some chuckling was heard from out of nowhere. Lori got into a fighting stance, turning every which way. "Watch your back, Otoniel," a voice hissed, "Demonicus is here, and she's got payback on her mind . . . " "Where are you?" Otoniel asked, looking around him. There was a silence for a couple of minutes. Lori sighed once more. "I hate it when villains speak in third person about themselves." 

"Here, Corey Corey Corey . . . " Merton called, slowly gliding down a dim hall lit by torches. "Well, Merton, I guess you were stronger than I guessed you'd be." The young vampire whipped around, facing Corey Haim. Haim grinned, showing sharp fangs. His face immediately turned to it's vampiric form. Merton hissed at him, getting into a fighting stance. Corey looked angry. "Fine, little one, let's fight." Merton charged at him, hissing. Haim flew into the air, dodging Merton and elbowing him in the back. The Goth whipped around, flying over Corey and attempting to hit him from behind, but Haim turned around and grabbed Merton's fist, twisting back. "That's it, Merton," Corey said, smiling, "Let the evil take over." The young vampire hissed, punching Haim in the face with his free hand and causing him to fly back.   
Corey seemed even more angry and flew into the air. He was about to attack Merton when one of the walls came crashing down from a giant explosion. Haim backed up and hissed at Merton before backing up into the shadows. Out of the smoke, Merton heard some coughing and saw Otoniel crawl out. Merton hurriedly walked over and helped him up. He saw Lori and helped her up out of the rubble as well. "Are you two okay?" he asked in concern.   
"Merton," Otoniel said, out of breath, "The vampire witch . . . Her soul was sent to Hell, but she escaped again through the portal." Merton furrowed his brows. "So now she's a demon vampire witch?"   
"Yeah," Lori put in, "She calls herself Demonicus and she's trying to get revenge on Otoniel!" A shadow seemed to come from the ground and Demonicus appeared, standing silent for a moment. "Otoniel Fernandez," she said, "You killed me and now there's gonna be Hell to pay!" She waved her hands and a red portal opened to the underworld behind Otoniel.   
Demonicus shot a beam of light at Otoniel and he dodged it, causing it to fly into the portal. Merton tried to grab Demonicus but his hands went through her, just as if she was just a shadow. "Fools!" she yelled, shooting at Otoniel once more, "You cannot defeat me!" "Oh yeah?" Demonicus turned to see Lori there. Lori kicked her in the face, but her foot went right through Demonicus. "Demonicus!" Demonicus turned back around and saw Otoniel standing before her. She charged at him and he jumped back, falling through the portal. Demonicus couldn't stop in time and went into the portal as well.   
"Otoniel!" Merton called. Otoniel crawled out of the portal, kicking away some demons that were grabbing at him. "Merton, use the incantation!" "Oh!" Merton took a deep breath. "Spirits now, she's been on this earth too long, send this demon back to where she belongs!" "No!" Demonicus screamed. The portal closed, the room becoming dimmer.   
The sound of someone clapping was heard. Corey Haim came out of the shadows, grinning. "Good job, little one," he said, smirking, "You beat a demon." He flew into the air, slowly gliding forward. "However, I've had enough of you." He took out a stake, hissing and charging at Merton. "I don't think so!" Suddenly, Tommy jumped out of the shadows, clinging to Haim's neck and causing them both to fall back. Lori and Otoniel came forward, entering the fight.   
Lori punched Corey, careful to not get too close to his fangs. Haim angrily threw Tommy off of him, pushing Lori to the side and punching Otoniel. "I will have my queen whether you like it or not!" He grabbed Lori and was about to sink his fangs into her neck when Tommy grabbed him from behind again, turning him around and punching him. Corey grew angry and threw Tommy down, holding the stake up.   
Merton watched in shock, as Corey was about to bring the stake down. What could he do? He would be staked for sure if he tried to help Tommy. But then he remembered a line from "The Sandlot":   
_Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. _Well, he _was _the legend of the Pleasantville vampire. He flew forward and grabbed the stake from Corey Haim, thrusting it forward. He closed his eyes as there was a bloodcurdling scream.   
There was a pause and he opened his eyes. Dust covered the floor. He still had the stake in his hand. "Tommy," he said, "No Haim, stake in hand . . . Do you realize what this means?!" "Uh . . . Haim's gone?" Tommy tried. "Yes," merton said, "And we're not vampires anymore!" Tommy smiled and jumped up. Tommy and Merton hugged, Merton dropping the stake. "Ahem." They quickly pulled away and smiled sheepishly at Lori and Otoniel, who were watching. "Come on, guys," Tommy said, "Let's go home." 

_Chapter Nineteen: Goodbyes And New Beginnings_

**We got back home and everyone assumed we had ran away, so now we had to go to counciling. It was okay, though, because all of us really knew what happened that month. Becky denied ever missing Merton, but we kind of suspected she was glad he was back. As for Otoniel? He said he had to go on and help out some other teenagers in another desolate town . . .**

"Are you sure you have to go?" Merton asked Otoniel sadly, standing outside the woods with Otoniel, Tommy, and Lori. "Yeah," otoniel said, "My work here is done. Don't worry, you're human again, now you can lead a normal life." He began to fly away. "Wait," Tommy said. Otoniel turned back around. "Yeah?" "Will we ever see you again?" The elder vampire's lips curled into a smile. "If you ever need my help again, rest assured, I will return." He then turned away and glided into the dark trees, into the night. 

**We were gonna miss him . . . But we knew that it wasn't going to be the last time we saw him. I had a feeling we'd be talking again soon . . .**

"Tommy! Lori!" Tommy and Lori turned from their lockers at Pleasantville High and looked at Merton, who was running wildly down the hall. He reached them and showed them a paper, pointing to an article. "Guys, look! Right here there were sightings of the Loch Ness monster! Pack your bags   
and get ready, we're going on a road trip to Scottland!" 

**But for now, Merton, Lori, and I had our own battles to fight.**

**THE END(?)**

**_A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Whew! A spent a year on this, I hope it was worth the read! Please tell me what you liked, and if you didn't like it, tell me what could have been better. Thanks!_**


End file.
